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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

LANCASTER COUNTY:

BEING A HISTOBY OF

EAELT SETTLEES AND EMII<rEIs[T MENOF THE COUNTY;

AS ALSO MUCH OTHER

UNPUBLISHED HISTORICAL INFOEMATION, CHIEFLY

OF A LOCAL CHARACTER.

BY

ALEX. HAEEIS.

LANCASTER, PA.:

ELIAS BARR & CO.1873.

Eatered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S72,

By ELIAS BARR & CO.,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

PEABSOL & OEIST, PRINTERS,

LANCASTER, PA

PREFACE.

A Biographical History of Lancaster county is such a

one as has not heretofore been attempted to be executed in

our midst. That a very general desire existed amongst the

intelligent citizens of our county, that a work of this char-

acter should be produced, the undersigned has had, since the

undertaking of his enterprise, the most abundant evidence.

It was owing to this fact that he received the assistance,

from the announcement of his enterprise, of a number of

intelligent and leading men, who, busied themselves in the

collection of all the information in their power, in order to

aid him in the preparation of a history of personages whose

lives, acts and doings were worthy of being recorded, for

the interest of the present and future generations.

That his work will be entirely satisfactory to the people

of the county, he cannot have the presumption to anticipate,

for it is far from being what he himself would have

desired to render it. Instead of being a complete Biographi-

cal History of the county, he rather is disposed to regard it

as a fragmentary contribution to its history, of which the

collected facts may serve as material for a more systematic

and complete history at some future day.

The undersigned, in setting out with the proposal to pro-

duce a Biographical History, had nothing further in view,

save the presentation of brief sketches of the leading citi-

zens of the county, and this it will be perceived he has

chiefly kept in view. In this particular, he hopes to be ex-

cused when he says that, in his opinion, his work cannot but

prove acceptable to a large class of our intelligent readers.

Surely an interest must be felt to know the history of those

citizens, born, reared, or who have lived in our midst, whose

works have enrolled them amongst the famed men of our

nation. Even of the lesser lights, whose rays were more cir-

cumscribed, it is also a matter of interest to have someknowledge. Of men who are the leading citizens of a com-

munity, we always feel an interest in knowing something as

to their history, and this is the main aim of the work nowpresented to the people of our county.

As regards the history of early settlers, their descendants

must ever feel a lively interest in ascertaining all that they

may be able to learn of them. Although beyond the scope

of the work, as originally contemplated, yet in deference to

suggestions frequently made, the undersigned has incorpo-

rated several of the leading family histories, and such as, in

an especial manner, have contributed largely towards the

development of the county, and in rendering it "the garden

of America." Some other family histories were sought in

vain to be obtained, which would have given additional in-

terest to the production. Eeasons, unnecessary to name,

thwarted the obtaining of several such family histories.

This, however, is the less to be regretted, as all this part of

the history was foreign to the original programme. Especial

anxiety, however, was felt to obtain family histories of that

class of our people who have, up to a very recent period,

(and many of them yet), shunned all participation in politi-

cal life, and as a consequence not obtained that deserved

recognition to which their deserts entitled them. To have

given a history of every family in the county, volumes would

have been required instead of a work of the moderate com-

pass intended. As it is. the author has been compelled

to omit much other interesting matter, in order not to allow

the Avork to go beyond its proposed bulk.

Without here enumerating the names of the many gener-

ous and enterprising gentlemen who rendered cheerful as-

sistance in the collection and transmission of material for

the work, the undersigned now takes occasion to sincerely

thank such, one and all, for their efficient aid and services; and

he will see to it that they each receive due credit in the work,

for the respective articles and biographies they may have

severally furnished him.

And in conclusion, the undersigned commits his work to

the judgment of tlie intelligent readers of Lancaster county,

simply as a contribution to local history ; by no means

claiming it as anything save a collection of plain sketches

that may prove, from the facts recorded, interesting to the

people of the county. As to its composition, he has not

sought to render it ornate, the generality of our readers pre-

ferring plain Anglo-Saxon to the most polished language.

That all will be pleased with his production, the undersigned

does not anticipate, nor does he hope to escape all adverse

criticism ; but he will be content if he shall be able to

satisfy the reasonable and reflecting, that he has produced a

work of moderate interest for his readers. Trusting that a

not too critical public may so view his effort, he submits

it in the hope that some one vastly more competent than

himself, may be incited to undertake a work that may ulti-

mate in a ranch more brilliant success than can be antici-

pated for the present humble production.

ALEXANDER HARRIS.Lancaster, October, 1872.

BIOGRAPHICAL- HISTORY

OF LAITCASTEE COUIl^TT.

A.

AGNEW, Egbert, a physician of Sadsbury townsliip.

He was elected a member of the Legislature in the

years 1826 and 1827. His son, David H. Agnew, was born

in Sadsbury township, where he practiced medicine for a

number of years. He is now a distinguished professor of

surgery in the University of Pennsylvania.

ALBEIGHT, Jacob, was born June 26th, 1791, in Lan-

caster city, Pennsylvania. He received a fair education,

and when a young man, taught school for some time in the

old Lancaster Academy, in North Queen street, between

Lemon and James streets. He was united in marriage with

Mrs. Susan Sherer, on the 25th of November, 18-17. For some

years he was engaged with Dr. Benj. Sherer, in the forward-

ing and commission business. Mr. Albright was elected

Mayor of the city of Lancaster, in the year 1855, on the

ticket commonly known as the Know-Nothing ticket, and

held the office for one year. He was an official member of

the Moravian church, and also a member of the Masonic

Order. He was a man of quiet and retiring disposition, very

amiable and agreeable in his manners, and was highly re-

spe'cted as a citizen. He died shortly after his retirement

from the Mayoralty, March 18th, 1856.

*ALBBIGHT, Eev. Jacob. The father of Eev. Jacob

Albright, (Albrecht in German), was John Albrecht, who emi-

grated from Germany to this country and settled in Douglas

*Contril)utecl by J. B. Good, esq.

b BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. His domicile

"was at or near a mountain ridge, known as Fuolisberg (Fox

Mountain), about ten miles southeast of Pottstown. In this

obscure spot his son Jacob, the subject of this sketch, was

born on May 1st, 1759. The house which sheltered his infant

head, and where he spent his childhood and youth, is still

standing; it is a one-story stone building, of solid but plain

architecture.

His parents were poor, and compelled to struggle hard to

provide for themselves and their children the necessaries of

life. The neighborhood, in its social, moral and religious as-

pects was then, and is now of such a nature, that one is forci-

bly reminded of the place where the founder of our religion

was brought up, and of which it was said, " Can there any

good thing come out of it ?" However, the poverty and pri-

vations of his youth, served as a rugged school to prepare him

for the severe and almost superhuman labors of his later years.

Like most men of his early surroundings, hardly anything

is known of his boj^hood. His parents belonged to the Evan-

gelical Lutheran Church, whose minister baptized him in his

infancy, and gave him the usual catechetical instruction

when he arrived at the proper age. He also received such

instruction as the schools of his time aiforded. Our benefi-

cent common school system had as yet no existence. In rude

log cabius, unworthy of the name of school-houses, thesim-

plest rudiments of education were imperfectly taught. Eev.

H. Harbaugh, in the Pennsylvania German vernacular, says

of these schools

:

Inêunig, um der Ofte rumHocke die kleene Tschaps,

Sie lenie artlich hart, verschteh,

Un wer net wees sei' A B C

—

Sei' Ohre kiiege Rapps.

Die arme Drep ! dort hocke se

lu Misserie—-juscht deuk !

Es is kee' Wunner—uemm mei Woil;

—

Dass se so -svenlg lerne dort,

Uf seUe hoche Benk.

In one of these unpromising institutions, young Albright

acquired the art of reading and writing the German language,

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. \)

aud also the first principles of Aritlimetic. He never enjoyed

the advantages of an English education. Of the German, he

acquired a correct knowledge, by reading Luther's transla-

tion of the Bible, as also other books written in pure Ger-

man. Among the latter was a Commentary on the Bible,

which he valued very highly.

In person he was of medium stature, about five feet eight

inches in height. He had an aquiline nose, his mouth and chin

were exquisitely formed. His eyes were blue, and very

bright, his hair was black and his complexion fair. Thoughin his temperament the sanguine and choleric disjjositions

predominated, yet his bearing was always graceful and

dignified. About his person and dress, he was scrupulously

neat and precise. Some persons who knew him but im-

perfectly, thought he was proud;those, however, who under-

stood his character better, knew him to be entirely innocent

of this charge.

In 1785, when about 25 years of age, he was married to

Miss Catharine Cope. Soon after his marriage, he moved to

Lancaster county, and purchased a tract of land, eligibly loca-

ted near Frysville, in the present East Cocalico, but then Earl

township'. Here, besides farming, he also carried on the brick

and tile business. At that lime man}' of the dwellings in

Lancaster county were covered with tiles. Some of these

antique relics are still in existence.

In 1790 several of his children died of dysentery. At the

funeral of one of them, Eev. Anton Hautz, a minister of the

German Reformed Church, preached a sermon which touched

Albright's heart. Of the state of his mind at this time, he

says: "In my early youth I had received catechetical in-

struction in the doctrines of the Christian religion. I did

not then comprehend the great truths I learned, and could

not appreciate them; but a feeling of reverence toward Godwas implanted, which never left me. This feeling was very

undefined, but it induced me to regard every place where

God was worshipped as sacred, and I could not despise or

persecute those persons who engaged in the worship of the

Most High, no matter to what sect they belonged. This re-

verence for the worship of God, induced me to frequently

10 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

attend religions meetings, and to listen attentively to the ex-

hortations of the Ministers of the Gospel. * * « I \)q.

came frightened at myself, the judgments of God stood be-

fore my imagination, my spirit experienced a deep dejection,

and at last, on a certain day of July, in my thirty-second year,

it rose to such a degree that it bordered on despair. * * *

I fell upon rr.y knees, tears of bitter repentance coursed

down my cheeks, and a long-continued, earnest and ardent

prayer for pardon and salvation, went up to the throne of the

Most High." In this state of mind he was met by a sincere,

warm-hearted Christian, named Adam Eiegel, whose sympa-

thies at once entwined themselves around this sincere peni-

tent. It was in this man's house where they earnestly prayed

together, that Albright experienced the truth, that the Son of

Man has power on earth to forgive sins. Of this experience

Albright says :" All distress of my heart vanished. The

peace of God filled my soul, and the Holy Spirit bore witness

with my Spirit, that I was a child of God."

At this period, the German churches in Pennsylvania

were in a deplorable condition. German adventurers, whose

moral and literary attainments precluded their preferment at

home, hunted their fortunes in America, and prûmed to

meddle with holy things among the rude and unlettered col-

onists. Tradition has handed down plenty of anecdotes,

which plainly show the grotesqueness of manners and gen-

eral uncouthness of the clergy of these times. The old adage,

" Like priest like people," was fully illustrated in this in-

stance. The people were industrious and frugal, but never-

theless ignorant, coarse, intemperate and%profane. Church

discipline, if such a thing was ever thought of, was exercised

with extreme laxity.

On this subject Albright says :" At this time I knew no

class of professing Christians that seemed more zealous unto-

good works, and who had a better discipline than the Metho-

dists. For this reason I went with them and had opportunity

to obtain great good and many blessings for my soul. Asmany things in their exercises were as yet not clear to mymind, and were conducted in the English language, and as I

was not yet fully conversant with that language, I commenced

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 11

its study witla great zeal, and soon was enabled to fully un-

derstand their book of discipline and their articles of faith,

which pleased me very much. I sought to conduct myself

precisely according to their rules and regulations."

He joined a class that held their meetings in his neighbor-

hood. Mr. Isaac Davis, whose farm adjoined his own, being

their leader.

Albright's talents and zeal were so marked, that an Bxhort-

er's license was soon given to him;and as there was at that

time considerable religious inquiry among his German neigh-

bors, opportunities frequently presented themselves to exer-

cise his gifts.

On this point Albright says :" I had no gift of eloquent

speech, and I must confess that I was herein less competent

than any other man who might have undertaken it." Com-

petent judges, however, assure us that Albright under-esti-

mated his powers, as humility was a marked feature of his

character. At this time he had no thoughts of regularly

preaching the Gospel, and he passed through great struggles

before he could make up his mind to take that step. Heclearly foresaw the labors, difficulties and afflictions he would

have to endure. And then his keen sensitivness as to his

own ineificiency, weighed heavily on his soul. He hesitated

until the conviction of his divine call to the ministry became

irresistible, and he felt with St. Paul :" Wo is unto me if I

preach not the Gospel." He especially felt a deep solicitude

for his German countrymen, whose spiritual welfare lay near

his sympathetic heart. He soon became known in his neigh-

borhood as a very zealoiis worker.

As regards his relations to the Methodist E. Church at

this juncture, it is diiScult to arrive at a correct conclusion.

It is doubtless true that though some Methodist ministers

occasionally preached in German, there were none that ex-

clusively labored in that language. The impression seems

to have extensively prevailed, that the German language

would soon die out on this continent, and that therefore it

was impolitic to employ German preachers. Albright, how-

ever, felt such a powerful internal call to labor among his

German brethren, that he could not remain silent or inactive.


but continued zealously to labor in his divine Master's cause.

At first his success was but moderate. From 1796, -when

he first set out on his mission, until 1803, when the first Con-

ference was held, the number of his followers did not exceed

forty ; and besides him, there were only two preachers,

namely, Eevs. Walter and Lieser.

This slow increase was principally owing to the illiterate and

obscure character of the ministers engaged in the work, and

the powerful opposition and persecution which was aroused

against them. Besides this, Albright and his coadjutors had,

up to this time, confined themselves almost exclusively to

the counties of Bucks, Berks and Northampton, emphatically

Albright's home ; and a greater than he had said before him,

that "a prophet is not without honor save in his own coun-

try and in his own house." Afterwards, when the theatre of

their operations was transferred to distant fields, whose soil

perhaps was more promising, their labors yielded more abun-

dant fruit.

On Sejitember 15th and 16th, 1807, at Miihlbach, Lebanon

county, Pennsylvania, they held their first regular annual

Conference. At this meeting five itinerant and three local

preachers, and twenty official lay members, were present.

Here Albright was elected Superintendent of the Society, and

by a resolution of the Conference, he was directed to prepare

rules of discipline for the government of the religious Society

thus organized. This, on account of his declining health and

early death, he was prevented from accomplishing. The dis-

cipline was afterwards prepared by Eev. G. Miller, in the

year 1809. The membership at this time numbered two

hundred and twenty.

It was soon apparent that Albright's health was daily

failing ; but he still continued to travel and to labor as muchas his impaired strength permitted him to do. During the

winter he traveled with the late Rev. J. Dreisbach, who was

then a young man, but who has recently died at the ad-

vanced age of eighty-two years. Their circuit extended

partly over the counties of Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster,

Berks, Bucks, Montgomery, Northampton, Lehigh and

Schuylkill. They had about thirty appointments or places


to preacL, of which some were from twenty to thirty miles

apart.

It was during this season that the Society at Millersville,

Lancaster county, received great accessions in numbers,

among whom was John Erb, who afterwards became an

itinerant minister.

On Easter-day, 1808, a quarterly meeting was held at Al-

bany, Berks county, Pennsylvania, where Albright for the

last time, appointed his preachers to their several fields of

labor. He now began to sink rapidly. Incessant travel,

exposure to the inclemency of every season, the privations

incident to the itinerancy, and the almost superhuman labors

performed by him, had at last undermined his constitution

and broken down his health to such a degree that he wascompelled to return home. He was suffering with a pulmonary

affection, which, however, had now progressed so far that he

never reached his earthly home any more. He remained

with Christian friends at Miihlbach, Lebanon couaty, Penn-

sylvania, who kindly nursed him during a short illness, be-

ing confined to his bed for only a few days. He died on the

18th of May, 1808, in the fiftieth year of his age. His re-

mains were buried on the 20th, in a neighboring burying

ground, where, in commemoration of his death and burial, a

church has since been erected, which bears the name of" Albright's Church."

Since his death, the religious Society founded by him has

enjoyed great prosperity. The number of regular or itiner-

ant ministers, exceeds five hundred, and the lay membership

approaches to one hundred thousand. The Society supports

several institutions of learning;their book concern is in a

flourishing condition ; and one of their papers, " Der Christ-

liche Botschafter," is the oldest German religious paper in

the country. They support promising missions in Germanyand Switzerland, which appear to be destined to exert a great

influence in the future.

AMWEG, John Michael, was a native of Prussia,

who emigrated to this country and settled in Lancaster

county before the American revolution. He settled in

Cocalico, at a place near Eeinholdsville. He was a man of a


good education, and pursued the calling of a school-master.

Being industrious and economical, he soon acquired pro|)erty

around him. He was the ancestor of the family name in

this county. One of his sons was named Jacob, and his son

William, was the father of Jacob B., William S., and John M.

Amweg, members of the bar oi Lancaster. Wm. Amwegdied in 1861.

ANDERSON, James, a citizen of Donegal township, who

resided near the borough of Marietta. He was a member of

the Legislature in the years 1776, 1778, 1779 and 1780.

ANDREWS, Hugh, a member of the Legislature in 1840

and 1841.

ARMSTRONG, Andrew, a citizen of East Donegal

township. He was elected a member of the Legislature in

October, 1866, and served one session. He is a man of con-

siderable intellect and force of character, and entertains

very independent and decided opinions. He has been one

of the early and firm friends of the Free School System.

ARMSTRONG, Aethpr, a painter of considerable repute;

many of whose paintings are yet preserved by citizens of

Lancaster. The following notice of Mr. Armstrong, by a

cotemporary, seems to depict his artistic skill in its proper

light :" It does not require a connoisseur in the fine arts to

discover something remarkable in the style of Mr. Arm-strong's painting; he leaves nothing in the dark for the

imagination to work out ; it is bold and distinct, and yet the

distance is kept with such a natural harmony as to give it at

once that ease and softness essential to the art. The picture

(the one oar cotemporary describes), is on a rich blue silk,

and is intended as a banner for the Washington Fire Com-

pany of Louisville, Kentucky. The back of the canvass re-

presents the Washington family, which is not a mere covering

of the bare material, but with a persevering assiduity the

artist has left nothing unfinished. The scene is under the

portico of the mansion at Mt. Vernon, and consists of the

domestic family circle. In the distance is seen- the Potomac,

studded with sails. In short, the whole is beautifully worked

out and more worthy the gallery than the back of a banner.

OF LANCASTER COUXTV. 15

This splendid piece of workmanship reflects a character of

no ordinary degree on its author, and it must be a source of

gratification to himself, as well as to his friends, that the

reputation he has gained by his late productions, secures for

him the patronage which his genius so richly merits. Mr.

Armstrong is an eminent artist, indeed."

ARMSTROKG, John, elected County Commissioner in

1869.

ARMSTRONG, Thomas, a member of the Legislature in

1735 and 1736.

ASH, Phixeas, elected County Commissioner in 1816.

ATLEE, John L., M. D., eldest son of Col. Wm. Pitt

Atlee, and grandson of the Hon. Wm. Aug. Atlee, was born

in Lancaster, November 2d, 1799. With the exception of

about one year, spent in Gray & Wiley's Academy, in 1813

and 1814, he received his preliminary education in his native

city, and entered the office of the late Samuel Humes, M. D.,

in 1815. He graduated at the University of Pennsylvania

in April, 1820, and from that time till the present, has prac-

ticed the various branches of his profession in Lancaster.

He took an active part in the organization of the Lancaster

City and County Medical Society, and has been twice elected

its President ; of the State Medical Society in 1818, of which

he was elected President, in 1857; and of the American

Medical Association, of which he was chosen one of the Vice

Presidents, in 1868.

At the union of Franklin and Marshall Colleges, he was

elected Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, and lectured

annually to the classes until within the last three years.

He has always taken an interest in the subject of educa-

tion in his native city, and for more than forty years was a

member of the Lancaster City School Board. As a memberof the medical profession. Dr. Atlee is a physician of rare

skill, extensive practice, and widely famed as one of the most

skillful surgeons of Pennsylvania.

ATLEE, Samuel J., was a colonel in the American revo-

lution, and one who did eflective service in the emancipation

of the colonies from British rule. His father married Jane

16 BIOGEAPHICAL HISTOEY

Alcock, maid of honor to the Queen of England ; and the

match being clandestine, they immediately sailed for America,

They had three children, William Augustus, Samuel John,

and Amelia. Samuel John was born in year 1739. Eeing

a youth of great ambition and daring, he, at the early age of

sixteen, obtained the command of a company in the provincial

service (war of 1755), in the regiment under Col. Burd, and

was present at Braddock's defeat. During the continuance

of that war, it was his fate to be taken prisoner twice, once

by the Indians, and again by the French. He remained in

the service eleven years. After the expiration of this ser-

vice, he read law, and was engaged in the pursuit of his pro-

fession until the breaking out of the revolution. He was-

married to Sarah Eichardson, on the 19th of April, 1762.

At the commencement of hostilities with the mother

country. Captain Atlee, being one of two in the county of

Lancaster who had any knowledge of military tactics, under-

took the duties of the drill, in order to prepare his fellow-

citizens to breast the impending storm. His unremitting

attention was devoted to this object during the greater part

of the year 1775;and in the beginning of 1776, by virtue of

an Act of the General Assembly of March 5th of the same

year, he raised in the Pequea Valley and in Chester county,

the First Kegiment of State Infantry, of which he was ap-

pointed colonel. Although this regiment was called out

simply for the defence of the province, yet Col. Atlee and

his command voluntarily marched to New Jersey to cooperate

with the American army in that quarter. He achieved im-

perishable honors with his regiment at the battle of LongIsland,' on which occasion he was taken prisoner, having

only a sergeant and sixteen men left, the rest having been

previously killed or taken prisoners. He suffered eighteen

months' imprisonment, part of it on board a prison ship.

'A very interesting account of the battle of Long Island, in wliicli Col.

Atlee was prominent, may be found in the Life of President Reed, bybis grandson, "Wm. B. Reed, Vol. I., p. 221-234. In the same volume"is also published an extract from Col. Atlee's journal, describing the

particulars of the battle in a spirited manner, Vol. I., p. 413. See also

in the Diary of the American Revolution, by Fi-ank Moore, Vol. I., p.

297, in a foot-note, a sketch of Col. Atlee.

OP LANCASTER COUNTY. IT

During his imprisonment lie lived for two weeks on chest-

nuts. The British gaolers were in the habit of cutting up

raw pork into small pieces and throwing them to the pri-

soners, calling "pig, pig-" The prisoners were so near

starved, that they killed their dogs and ate them, and roasted

their leather breeches for food.

'Col. Atlee was chosen a member of the Continental Con-

gress in 1778, and held a seat in this body up to 1782.

In 1780 Col. Atlee was appointed by the Supreme Ex-

ecutive Council, Lieutenant of Lancaster county. In 1783

he was elected Councillor of Lancaster county, and on the

21st of October of the same year he appeared in the

Supreme Executive Council, subscribed the required oath,

and took his seat as a member of the Board. He was one

of the committee with Gen. Sullivan and Dr. Wither-

spoon, who were sent by Congress in January, 1781, to

endeavor to conciliate the mutineers of the Pennsylvania

Line. He was afterwards, in 1784, one of the Commission-

ers, on the part of Pennsylvania, who ratified the treaties of

Forts Stanwix and Mcintosh, with the deputies of the Six

Nations and the Wyandot and Delaware Indians. TheCommissioners each were allowed forty-five shillings per

diem for their services, the same as a delegate to Congress

at the time received.^

•About the 20th of January, 17T0, he wi'Ote to the Supreme Execu-

tive Council of the State, claiming to be appointed a Brigadier General.

The Council ordered that the same be transmitted to His Excellency,

General Washington, and his opinion requested thereon. In a letter of

General "Washington to President Reed, dated February 9th, 1779,

(Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. VII, p. 181,) he considers the claim of Col.

Atlee to rank. He says he has a high opinion of his merits and abili-

ties as an officer, but he does not see that he can, at this time, be pro-

moted to the rank of Brigadier, as the State having only two Brigades

in the field, is entitled only to two Brigadiers^that Gen. Wayne wasone, and that Col. Morgan and Col. Irwin, being senior officers, have

superior pretensions to Col. Atlee.

În a letter of Col. Atlee to President Dickinson, dated Pequea, Lan-

caster county, November 18th, 1784, he mentions his arrival at his home,

and reports that part of their mission to the Northern tribes is satisfac-

torily concluded. He then claims that notwithstanding his absence iu

discharging his duties as a Commissioner, he is entitled for two years

longer to a seat in the Council, and protests against the election of a

2

18 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOEY

He was elected to the General Assembly of Pennsylvania

for the year 1782, and also for 1785 and 1786.

Whilst Col. Atlee was attending as a Commissioner in the

ratification of the Indian treaty, he contracted a cold by lying

on the damp ground, from the effects of which he never re-

covered. In November, 1786, whilst walking in the streets

of Philadelphia, he was seized with a paroxysm of coughing,

ruptured a blood vessel, and shortly afterwards expired.

In personal appearance Col. Atlee was very handsome,

with a fresh and ruddy complexion, brown hair, blue eyes,

straight and portly, and very military in his carriage.

ATLEE, Wm. Augustus, brother of the above, was

born at Philadelphia, July 1st, 1735. He moved to Lancas-

ter at an early day, and read law under the instruction of

Edward Shippen, esq. He was admitted to the bar, August

Srd, 1758, and soon became prominent in his profession as

one of the leading lawyers of his day. He was elected Chief

Burgess of the Borough of Lancaster, September 15th, 1770,

to which position he was thrice subsequently chosen, and

administered the duties of said ofl&ce up to September, 1774.

Upon the breaking out of the American revolution, he became

an active and leading Whig, and in 1776 was chosen chairman

of the Committee of Public Safety of Lancaster. He was

appointed August 16th, 1777, by the Supreme Executive

Council, second Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsyl-

vania, his associates being Thomas McKean and John

Evans. During the years 1777 and 1778, he held the posi-

tion of Commissary of the British prisoners confined at

Lancaster. He was re-appointed Judge of the Supreme

Court, August 9th, 1784; and on the 17th of August, 1791,

Councillor from Lancaster county in his stead. This claim seems to

have been allowed, as Graydon, in the Memoir of his own Times, p.

384, congratulates himself ujion having received the appointment of

Prothonotary of Dauphin county, in 1785, and goes on to say: "TheRepublican party possessed a majority in the Covneil, and Col. Atlee,

tolw belonged to it, was designated for the office. He was conspicuous as

a party man, and if I mistake not, was at the time a member of the

Legislature, and on the scale of services and character no one had bet-

ter claims. To keep out Atlee the ConstitutionaUsts were disposed to

give their votes to any one of his competitors. The President (Dickin-

son) had probably given a promise to Col. Atlee as well as myself."


he was appointed Presideat Judge of the district, composed

of the counties of Chester, Lancaster, York, and Dauphin,

which position he filled up to his death, September 9th,

1793. As a member of the Supreme Bench of Pennsyl-

vania he rendered efficient service;and it is somewhat note-

worthy, that a remarkable uniformity of OjDinion is observa-

ble in the proceedings of the Supreme Court at that early day.

Lord Mansfield, speaking of Dallas' Reports in 1791, used

the following language :" They do credit to the Court, the

bar and the reporter. Thej^ show readiness in j^ractice,

liberality in principle, strong reason and legal learning."

In private life Judge Atlee was a man of easy and very

gentlemanly deportment, and noted for his high-toned in-

tegrity and strong adherence to his sense of right.

ATLEE, Wm. a., son of Dr. John L. Atlee, is a graduate

of Yale College, of the class of 1851, and a member of the

Lancaster bar, admitted in 185i. He was elected District

Attorney of Lancaster county, in 1865, and in 1869 chosen

Mayor of the City of Lancaster, administering said ofiice for

two years.

BBACHMAN, Christian, was for a long time cashier of

the old Lancaster Bank. He was appointed Prothono-

tary of Lancaster county in 1830. His son, Benjamin C.

Bachman, was President of the Lancaster Bank at the time

it failed, in 1856.

BACHMAN, Jacob, a member of the Legislature, in the

year 1823.

BAER, John, was the principal founder of the leading

German paper of Lancaster county, the Yolksfreund and

Beohachter. In 1817 he came in possession of the old

Volksfreund, founded in 1808, subsequently consolidated

therewith the Beohachter, and made the paper a complete

business success. He managed the paper up to the period

of his death, November 6th, 1858. It is now conducted byEeuben A. and Christian R. Baer, under the firm name of

John Baer's Sons.


*BAILEY, Francis, occupied an old house on the premises

of his father, in Sadsbury, which he used for a printing

office, and for some time he used the upper part of the

spring-house for that purpose. About the year 1800 he

erected a large stone printing office on the place, which is

standing at the present day, where the business was carried

on by him until about the year 1815. He was a zealous

advocate of American independence, and his name appears

very frequently in connection with the Freeman^s Journal,

throughout five volumes of the Colonial Eecords ; an order

was drawn in his favor on the Treasurer, December 2d,

1779, for the sum of £4,873 7s. 6d., the amount of his

account for printing work done for Council.* It appears bythe records that he executed the public printing for Council

up to the year 1790.

An order was drawn in his favor on the ISth of August,

1779, for £5,000, to be forwarded for the purpose of pur-

chasing flour for the army; and September 2d, 1780, an order

was drawn in his favor for §12,988, for sundry articles pur-

chased by him and delivered to Col. Eyan for the use of the

militia called into service.- Large numbers of orders were

drawn in his favor at many different times for printing and

binding, for copies of the laws and constitutions of the

different States, for his Journal for the use of the members,

&c., and for printing done for the Comptroller General's

office, and for printing the tax lists and advertisements in

the Freeraan^s Journalu^ to the year 1790.' He executed a

large portion of the State printing, at his office in Sadsbury

township, from the year 1790 until after the close of the

administration of Thomas M'Kean. The pamphlet laws

were printed at his office until the administration of Simon

Snyder, and within the recollection of our oldest inhabitants.

Francis Bailey was a worthy patriot of revolutionary times.

He was also a pious and religious man; and about the year

1788, beside Count Buelow and Eeichenbach, he and his

family were among the first in Lancaster county to receive

*Coiitributed by Isaac "Walker, of Sadsbm-y.

•Col. Rec, Vol. XII., p. 188. ^Col. Rec, Vol. XII., p. 467.

'Col. Rec, Vol. XVI., p. 526.


tlie doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church.^ When far

advanced in life, he removed with some of his family to the

city of Philadelphia, and his lands and residence were pur-

chased by Wm. Maxwell, the father of the present Eobert

and Eichard Maxwell.

*BAILEY Francis, son of Eobert Bailey, was an active

young man at the time of the American revolution. Helearned the trade of a printer and worked a short time in Lan-

caster borough. He was appointed in 1777, by the Executive

Council, Coroner of Lancaster county. On the Sth of April,

1778, Francis Bailey and Captain Long were appointed to

bring seventeen of the leading Quakers in Pennsylvania (who

were arrested by order of Congress and supposed to be inimi-

cal to the American cause), and convey them to Winchester,

Virginia.^ They were also charged to bring the prisoners

home again.

'Rupp's History of Lancaster Co., p. 431.

'The following is a copy of the order of discharge :

Lancaster, April 10th, 1778.

Executive CorsciL to Francis Bailey and Capt. Long, 1778.

Oentlemei' : The enclosed resolves wiU show that you are appointed

and authorized to conduct the prisoners sent frpm this State from Vir-

ginia, from Winchester, the place of their present confinement, to this

borough; and on your arrival here, acquaint this Council thereof. Those

of them who are in health, you are to bring with you, treating them onthe road with the polite attention and care which is due to men who act

upon the purest motives, to gentlemen whose station in life entitles

them to resided, however they may difler in political sentiments from

those in whose power they are. You will please to give them every aid

in your power, by procuring the necessary means of traveling in wagonsor otherwise, with such baggage as may be convenient for them on the

road. Your own prudence and good sense will direct you, in such inci-

dents as may turn up, in which the Council liave no doubt but your

conduct wUl justify tlieir confidence in you."

On the 27th of April, Messrs. Bailey and Long reported to the Execu-

tive Council, then sitting in Lancaster, that they had received the fol-

lowing persons from the jail in Winchester, A'irginia, agreeably to the

ordei-s of this Council, viz. : Israel Pemberton, James Pemberton,

John Pemberton, Hemy Drinker, Samuel Pleasants, William Smith,

Edward Pennington, Thomas Wharton, Owen Jones, Charles Eddy,

Charles Gervis, Elijah Brown, Thomas Fisher, Samuel R. Fisher, and

Myers Fisher ; and that Thomas Gilpin and John Hunt were dead.

*Contributed by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbury.


*BAILEy EoBERT, one of the early settlers of Sadsbury

township. He purchased 300 acres of land in Sadsbury

township, on the road leading from the Gap to the copper

mines. At the time of the revolution, although advanced in

years, he was an early and influential advocate of American

independence. He was, on the 15th of November, 1774,

elected by the citizens of Lancaster county one of the Com-mittee authorized to be chosen by resolution of the Conti-

nental Congress, which Committee was authorized to watch

the conduct of all persons as regards their action and senti-

ments with reference to the pending difficulties between the

mother country and the colonies. He was also entrusted

with money by the Council of Safety, to distribute amongst

the needy associators of Lancaster county.

He erected the large and commodious residence now owned

and occupied by Robert Maxwell, where he spent the bal-

ance of his useful life.

BAKEE, JoHX, was elected Recorder of Lancaster county,

in 1867.

BAKER, Rev. John C, son of Samuel R. and Elizabeth

Baker, was born in Philadelphia, May 7th, 1792. Having

lost his father when a child of eighteen months old, he

was reared under the roof of his maternal grandfather. Hewas delicate in constitution, but was strikingly precocious,

The case of the prisoners brought from Virginia, and now iii this

borough, being considered thereupon, ordered that they be immediately

sent to Pottsgrove, in the county of Philadelphia, and there discharged

from confinement ; and that they be furnished with a copy of the order,

which shall be deemed a discharge. And that A. B., of the city of

Philadelphia, gentleman, one of the prisoners referred to in the foregoing

order of Council, is hereby permitted, with hishorses, servants and bag-

gage, to pass unmolested into the county of Philadelphia, agreeably to

the said order, which is to be resjjected as their discharge. Also a pass

to Philadelphia, for Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Pemberton, Mrs. Pleasants, and

Mrs. Drinker ; and for Isi'ael Morris, who attended them, being re-

quested, was granted. And it is ordered that the whole expense of

aiTesting and confining the jnisoners sent to Vu-ginia, the expenses of

their journey, and aU other incidental charges, be paid by the pris-

oners, and that an order be drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Mr.

Bailey and Captain Long, for the sum of one huncb-ed and fifty pounds,

for which they are to account.

*Contributed by Isaac "Walker, of Sadsbury.

OF LANCASTEB COUNTY. 23

and was regarded by all as a very thoughtful and conscien-

tious boy. He early evinced a fondness for reading, and

made more than ordinary progress in his studies. In 1802

he was placed under instruction in Nazareth Hall, a seminary

of the Moravian church, in which institution he remained

five years. He early determined to study for the ministry,

though his friends had wished that he shoi;ld succeed his

father in the mercantile business. After remaining a short

time in Philadelphia, he set out for Lebanon, Pa., and began

the study of theology iinder Rev. Dr. Lochman.

In ISll he was licensed by the Synod of Pennsylvania,

and immediately thereafter accepted a call as an assistant

minister of a German congregation in Philadelphia. In the

following year the church at Germantown, Pa., having

become vacant, Mr. Baker was chosen as the pastor of this

church. His charge embraced Germantown, Whitemarsh,

Barren Hill, and several other smaller congregations. Helabored faithfully in this charge for the period of fifteen

years, and, in 1818, chiefly through his instrumentality, the

new church edifice was erected, a monument of his zeal and

enterprise.

In November, 1827, he received a call from the trustees,

elders, and wardens of Trinity Lutheran church of Lancas-

ter, Pa., which he accepted.' The principal motive in his

accepting this latter call, was the prospect of increased use-

fulness, and a more extended sphere for his pastoral

activity. He entered upon his duties, in this new position,

January 27th, 1828, delivering his introductory sermon in

German, and on the following Sunday, in English. OnFebruary 17th, 1828, chiefly through his eflbrts, the Sunday

School of the church was organized. This school was

opened on the 9th of March, with -±13 pupils and 63

teachers. Mr. Baker preached in both the ^German and Eng-

lish languages, in both of which he was equally eloquent.

'The call extended to Mr. Baker was signed by the following names :

George ilusser, President ; George King, Vice President ; Peter Protz-

man, Christian Swentzel, W. Hensel, G. L. Mayer, Adam Kellei',

Joseph Hubley, George R. Krug, Jacob Snyder, Joseph Blandford,

Henry Eichholtz, David Lebkicher, John Yost, Christopher Hager, F.

D; Hnbley, Christian Bachman, J. F. Heinitsh, Secretary.


On November 1st, 1852, Dr. Baker tendered liis uncondi-

tional resignation of his office of pastor of Trinity Lutheran

church, which, though with the greatest reluctance, was

accepted, and on the 80th of January, of the following year,

he preached his farewell sermon, in the presence of an

immense audience, and thus closed his twenty-five years of

pastoral labor in Lancaster.

He removed to Philadelphia, and took charge of St.

Luke's Evangelical Lutheran church, where he spent the

evening of his days in building up a new congregation in

the city of his birth. To this service he devoted himself

with all his youthful zeal, and labored with great faithful-

ness without compensation ; and even contributing from his

own resources to the support of the church. In this charge

he labored hke a faithful steward, until the Master called

him home to his reward. He died April 21st, 1859, and he

lies buried in Woodward Hill Cemetery, in Lancaster.

Dr. Baker was an earnest, enthusiastic and indefatigable

minister of the gospel. He could say, that "I must work

while it is day ; the night cometh when no man can work."

This was his motto, and faithfully was it followed. He was

unwearied in his varied ministrations, in his attentions to

the old and young, rich and poor, healthy and sick. In the

labors of the Sunday School he was ever faithful and

attentive.

Dr. Baker was familiar with both the English and Germantheological works, and received from Lafayette College, in

1837, the degree of Doctor of Divinity.

He was an influential member of the Lutheran Synod of

Pennsylvania, and for many years filled the office of Trea-

surer. He also presided as president over the deliberations

of that body. In Missionary operations he took a very

active part, and for many years prepared the annual report.

For a long period he was a leading and influential memberof the Lancaster School Board, and was a most regular and

welcome visitor in all the schools.

His kindness of heart and simplicity of manners en-

deared him to all classes. He was, in short, a bright and

shining light upon Zion's walls.


BALDWIN, J. C, was elected Clerk of Quarter Sessions

and Oyer and Terminer, in the year 1863.

BALDWIN, EoBERT, was elected a member of the Legis-

lature in the years 18i9 and 1850. He was also elected

to the State Senate in the year 1857.

BALMER, Daniel, for many years a magistrate of Lan-

caster county, resident at Elizabethtown. He was elected a

member of the Legislature in the year 1842.

BARBER, Robert, was a native of Yorkshire, England,

emigrated to America, and settled in Chester county, Penn-

sylvania. He was a Quaker by persuasion ; and either in

Chester or Philadelphia, married Hannah Tidmarsh, a lady

of the same religious principles as his own. Prior to coming

to America, he had followed a seafaring life and had been

captured and detained as a prisoner in France. He was an

energetic man, and in 1721 was appointed Coroner of Ches-

ter county. In company with John Wright and Samuel

Blunston, he jDurchased a large tract of land near where Co-

lumbia now stands. His tract of land lay on the eastern bank

of the Susquehanna, and embraced one thousand acres;

bounded on the northwest by Chickies Hills, and to the

south by what was afterwards called Pattou's Hill. He was

the first Sheriff of Lancaster county ; appointed October ith,

1729. While Barber was Sheriff, owing to the belief that

somewhat prevailed at the time, that the seat of justice would

be established at Wright's Ferry (now Columbia), he built a

prison near his house. This prison was a strong log build-

ing, and was torn down not many years since. It was in

this prison that James Anneslej^, alias Lord Altham, was

confined when he ran away from his master. • Robert Barber

had several children, the oldest of whom was killed by the

Indians near the site of Pittsburg.

BARE, Adam, was for many years an innkeeper, on the

New Holland pike, and also was engaged in agricultural

pursuits. He was one of the earliest and most influential

members of the Anti-Masonic party of the county. Hewas elected Sheriff of Lancaster county in the year 1830.

He was, in 1834, elected one of the County Commissioners.


*BAETON, Benjamin S., son of the Eev. Thomas Barton,

was born in Lancaster, February 10th, 1766. His mother

was the sister of the celebrated philosopher, Eittenhouse.

The death of his parents occasioned his removal, in 1782, to

the family of a brother, in Philadelphia, where he spent

several years in the study of literature, the sciences, and

medicine. In 1786 he went to Great Britain, and prose-

cuted his medical studies at Edinburgh and London. He,

afterwards, visited Gottingen, and there obtained the degree

of Doctor of Medicine. On returning to Philadelphia, in

1789, he established himself as a physician in the city, and

his superior talents and education soon procured him com-

petent employment. He was, that year, appointed Professor

of Natural History and Botany, in the College of Philadel-

phia, and continued in that office on the incorporation of

the College with the L'niversity, in 1791. He was appointed

Professor of Materia Medica, on the resignation of Dr.

Griffiths ; and, on the death of Dr. Eush, succeeded him in

the department of the Theory and Practice of Medicine.

He died December 19th, 1816.

Dr. Barton was highly distinguished by his talents and

professional attainments, and contributed much, by his

lectures and writings, to the progress of natural science in

the United States. He published "Elements of Zoology

and Botany," in which he made respectable additions to the

zoological science of our country, and displayed a degree of

genius, diligence, learning, and zeal, in this pursuit, which

do honor to our republic, and which bid fair to place himamong the most accomplished and useful naturalists of his

time. In 1803 he published "Elements of Botany, or Out-

lines of the Natural History of Vegetables," &c. Dr. Barton

has the honor of being the first American who gave to his

country an elementary work on botany; and "if we mayjudge," says Dr. Miller, in his 'Eetrospect of the Eighteenth

Century,' "of the subsequent interest from the first fruits, it

will be rich, indeed. This work is illustrated by thirty

plates, and discovers an extent of learning, and an acuteness

and vigor of mind, and elegance and taste higlily honorable

^Thatcher's Medical Biography.

OF LA^TCASTKR COUNTY. 27

to the author. Of the thirty plates that accompany this

work, twenty-eight have claims to more or less originality,

and many of them are completely original. They are well

executed; and most of the subjects selected for delineation

are remarkable for their rarity and beauty, or some other

peculiarity of character. Every part of this work discovers

that the author has not been contented with compiling

the facts and opinions of his predecessors, but that he

accurately observed and thought for himself. He will,

therefore no doubt be pronounced, by the best judges, to

have presented his countrymen with the most instructive

work of this kind in the English language."

Dr. Barton published " Collections for an essay towards a

Materia Medica of the United States," which is the only

work, professedly, on the subject of which it treats, that

had at that time issued from the American press. In 1810

the author published a third edition of this very valuable

production. It is an original work, of great merit, and was

peculiarly acceptable to the public, as it brought into notice

numerous medical remedies, the production of our own soil,

which had been entirely neglected, but which have since

augmented and enriched the American Materia Medica. In

1805 Dr. Barton commenced the publication of the " Medi-

cal and Physical Journal," to which he contributed manyvaluable articles.

As a naturalist, the merits of Dr. Barton are of no com-

mon kind; and he has deservedly received a large share of

praise in his own and in foreign countries, for his many and

successful exertions in enlarging the sphere of natural

knowledge. He published " Fragments of the Natural

History of Pennsylvania," an " Essay on the Fascinating

Power ascribed to Serpents," &c., and several memoirs on

particular specimens in zoology, in the " American Philo-

sophical Transactions." In his " Views of the Origin of the

Tribes and Nations of America," will be found vocabularies

of a number of Indian languages that were never before

committed to the press; comparing these with languages

more generally known, both on the Eastern and Western

continents; and thence deducing new evidence in support of


the opinion that the nations of America and those of Asia

have a common origin, and that all mankind are derived

from a single pair. His various works evince a closeness of

observation, an accuracy of inquiry, an extent of learning,

and a vigor and comprehensiveness of mind, which are

equally honorable to their possessor and to his country. It

is but just to observe, that American science and literature

are indebted to the indefatigable labors of him whose

memoirs are here presented.'

BAETON, George Washington, a grandson of Eev.

Thomas Barton, was born in Lancaster, Sept., 1807. Whena boy, he was very frolicsome and wild, and it was with

difficulty that his attention could be attracted with books.

His first instructor in the classics, was a Mr. Shifier of Lan-

caster, but his truancy often prevented his appearance at

recitation time. After making some progress with this

teacher, even against his will, he was next sent to Nazareth,

a school of wide repute. His stay at this Seminary of learn-

ing was between two and three years. Upon his return he

entered a printing office, and began the learning of that

trade, as he was altogether averse to the professions. Soonafterwards he went to Philadelphia, and meeting with his

cousin, Wm. C. Barton, an eminent Professor of Botany in

the Jeflfersou College, he was by him induced to turn his

attention to the study of botany. He returned to Lancaster,

discontinued the printing business, and, for a time, pursued

with great zeal the new study. Shortly afterwards he con-

cluded to travel, and made several voyages to foreign coun-

tries. In one of these voyages he was shipwrecked on the

coast of Buenos Ayres; and having made his way to the

American Consul, he was furnished a passport, and sailed

for New York. At this time he was little, if anything, over

fifteen years of age. He afterwards made his way to Nash-

'In the year 1785, Messrs. Ritteiiliouse, Ellicott, Peters, and NeviU,

were appointed Commissioners to trace the meridian, nortliward, for the

western boundary of Pemisylvauia, begimiing at the S. E. corner of the

State. In tliis undertaking the services of Benjamin S. Barton -were

enlisted, a youth then of but nineteen years of age, but whose scientific

acquirements, even at that early period of his life, had rendered a useful

associate of the Commissioners.

—

Life of BittenJiouse.


ville, Tennessee, when about seventeen, and remained in that

city about four years. During this time he was engaged in

a printing office. While in this situation he contributed

several articles for the press, which drew the attention of

Pelix Grundy, who offered to instruct him gratis in the study

of the law, as he perceived him to possess talents of a rare

order. Having at that time no taste for the legal profession,

he declined the liberal offer. Hearing of the death of his

mother, he concluded to return to Lancaster, and did so,

arriving at his home in the midst of the Jackson campaign

of 1828. After his return, he wrote some articles for the

newspapers, that caused quite a sensation ; and among the

rest drew the attention of James Buchanan. Mr. Buchananfirst met him at a barbecue at Cheves' woods, during a

political campaign, and was so delighted with the brilliancy

which his conversation displayed, that he invited him to call

and see him at his office. He did so, and the result was, that

he soon became a student of law in the office of Mr. Buchanan.

He was admitted to the bar in 1830. He began the practice

of the profession with great eclat, and astonished everybody

with the brilliancy of his declamation, which surpassed any-

thing that had ever before been heard at the Lancaster bar.

His smooth, graceful and polished oratory, is believed bythose who heard him, to have equaled the finest displays of

eloquence of the American Congress; and he is remembered

and constantly cited by the bar and people who heard him

as the finest declaimer who ever spoke before a Lancaster

jiiry.

After practicing law for some years, in Lancaster, with

great reputation, he was appointed District Attorney for

Philadelphia, where he removed, and was afterwards

appointed Judge of one of the courts, by Governor Porter.

He presided as Judge for three or four years. He subse-

quently practised in the profession, in the city of Philadel-

phia, for some time, and afterwards emigrated to California,

and located, as an entire stranger, in the city of San Fran-

cisco. An opportunity was but needed to introduce him on

the Pacific coast. He tendered his services to an undefended

criminal, and the great brilliancy and ability displayed in


this defence established him at once, and soon he was over-

whelmed with business. He took rank, therefore, as one of

the leading lawyers of San Francisco. But destiny reserved

but a brief glory for this Achilles of the bar, and death

removed the brilliant star of genius on the 25th of Decem-

ber, 1851.

BARTON, Matthias, was a son of Eev. Thomas Barton,

and was admitted to the bar in 1778. He was elected from

Lancaster county to the Legislature, in the years 1793, 1794

and 1795. In 1796 he was elected to the Senate of Penn-

sylvania, and reelected in 1800.

Mr. Barton was a man of superior culture, and possessed a

great fondness for natural history. In his travels through

Pennsylvania and other States, he made considerable collec-

tions of natural history ; and he noted, in an especial man-

ner, the habits of animals; in particular the viviparous quad-

rupeds, and also of birds and fishes. He was for many ye ars

engaged in collecting materials for a work " on the Instincts

and Manners of Animals." He also made a large collection

of the mineral productions of Pennsylvania. In his collec-

tion were many specimens of the ores and clays of his native

State.

Without the aid of a master, Mr. Barton excelled as a

painter and drawer of sketches from nature. A considera-

ble portion of his leisure time was employed in painting

scenes from nature, and the animal productions of our coun-

try. Some of his drawings of birds and fishes of Pennsyl-

vania were acknowledged by competent judges to have been

amongst the most beautiful found in the department of

natural history.

Mr. Barton was a gentleman very amiable in his manners,

of unspotted private virtue, and whose charms in society

endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. He was

a useful citizen, and ranked amongst the ablest men of Penn-

sylvania. He died January 11th, 1809, in the 47th year

of his age.

BAETON, Thomas, was born in Ireland, in the year

1730. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Shortly

after graduating, he came to America, and was for about


two years engaged as an assistant teacher in the academy at

Philadelphia. In 1755 he returned to England, bearing a

recommendation from the Professors of the College, and the

clergy of the Province of Pennsylvania, and with an earnest

petition from the inhabitants of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania,

that he might be appointed their missionary. After the

requisite preliminaries he was ordained, and came back as

missionary for the counties of York and Cumberland.

He reached Philadelphia, about April 10th, 1755, andimmediately wrote to some ofthe leading men of his mission,

who caused a number of wagons to be sent for his effects.

He reached the field of his labors about the last of May, andhis first care was to make himself acquainted with the con-

dition and members of his three congregations, York, Carlisle

and Huntingdon. After he had caused wardens and vestry-

men to be established in the different congregations, these

met in convention, and it was agreed that he should ofiiciate

three Sundays in six at Huntingdon, two at Carlisle, and one

at York. The labors devolved upon him in attending three

congregations, the extremes of which lay 148 miles apart,

can be easily conceived. Besides having learned that there

vfere within the limits of the mission, large numbers of the

communion of the Church of England, in Shippensburg, and

four or five other settlements, he determined to visit each of

these four times in the year, in order to prepare them for the

Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and to baptize their chil-

dren.

Scarcely had Mr. Barton commenced his labors, before his

attention was drawn to the wretched condition of the

Indians, some of whom resided at no great distance from the

seat of his labors ; and having heard that a number of them

had come down from the Ohio to Carlisle, to dispose of their

fur and deer-skins, he took occasion to go among them, and

endeavored to secure their good-will in the hope of making

himself useful to them. He invited them to church, and

such of them as had any knowledge of English, came and

seemed attentive. Subsequently, these brought their breth-

ren to shake hands with him ;and the result of the interview

was, that he had great hope of being able to bring them

32 BIOGEAPHICAL HISTORY

under the influence of Christianity. But just at this time,

tidings came that the forces under the command of General

Braddock had been defeated, as they were marching to

Fort Duquesne, (now Pittsburg); and this was soon suc-

ceeded by an alienation of the Indians, which put an end to

all hope of prosecuting, successfully, any missionary efforts

among them.

Mr. Barton now finding himself exposed to the incursions

of the French and Indians, was compelled to organize the

young men of his own congregations for defense against

their enemies ; and such was his zeal and activity, that he

even put himself at their head, and marched either by night

or by day when there was an alarm. In 1758, the youngmen within his mission offered to join the army if Mr. Barton

would accompany them ; whereupon he proposed himself to

Gen. Forbes, as chaplain of the troops, and his services were

thankfully accepted. He was, however, absent from his

ordinary duties but a short time, though it was long enough

to give him the opportunity of making the acquaintance of

Washington, Mercer, and other distinguished oiBcers of the

army.

It was during the time that Mr. Barton was engaged in

teaching in Philadelphia, in 1751, that he formed the ac-

quaintance of David Eittenhouse, then about 19 years of age.

A warm attachment sprang up between Mr. Barton and

Esther Eittenhouse, which, in 1753, resulted in their mar- •

riage. It was chiefly through the instrumentality of Mr.

Barton, that the uncommon ability of David Eittenhouse

was first discovered, who afforded him every facility for

developing his genius, by procuring him books and asssisting

him in the study of the languages. The friendship thus early

cemented between the philosopher Eittenhouse and Mr.

Barton never ceased ; even the unfortunate difference of

political opinion, as regarded the propriety of revolution,,

never marred the kind feelings which the one entertained for

the other.i

In 1759, Mr. Barton was appointed rector of St. James'

•Would that such liberality and liigh toned feeling would become uni-

versal in the hearts of mankind.

OP LANCASTEE COUNTY. 33

Cliurcli, and missionary for the congregations of Pequea and

Caernarvon. This position he continued to fill for the space

of 20 years. In addition to these three charges, he oflBciated

occasionally at the churches of New London and "White

Clay creek—the one distant 35 miles, the other 50 miles

from his residence. So great was the amount of labor he

performed, and such the fatigue and exposure to which he

was subjected in his missionary excursions, that he became

sensible that his constitution was greatly impaired; but he

still kept on laboring, to the extent of his ability ; and the

letters which from time time he ^VTote to the Society for

propagating the Gospel, show that he was resolved to per-

severe in his labors until his health should entirely fail, or

Providence should in some other way hedge up his path.

Mr. Barton had never lost, in any degree, his interest in

the Indians ; and was actually planning an excursion of a

few months among them, in or about the year 1764, whenhis hopes were again blasted by the breaking out of the

Indian war, which rendered any approach to them utterly

hopeless.

In 1770, Mr. Barton received the Honorary Degree of

Master of Arts, from King's College, New York.

As the difiiculties between England and , the colonies

increased, Mr. Barton, on account of his suspected sympathy

for the mother country, found his situation to become more

and more embarrassing. He still continued to 'pray for the

king, and this created so strong a feeling against him and his

congregation, that it resulted in his church being nailed shut,,

and so remained till the close of the revolution.^ In a letter,

dated November 25th, 1776, he thus describes his situation:

" I have been obliged to shut up my churches to avoid the

fury of the populace, who would not suffer the liturgy to be

used, unless the collects and prayers for the King and royal

family were omitted, which neither my conscience nor the

declaration I made and subscribed when ordained, would

allow me to comply with; and, although I used every pru-

'At tbe breaking out of tlie American revolution, every Episcopal

church in Pennsylvania was closed.

—

Documentary History of State ofNew Torlc, Vol. IV, p. 241.

3


dent step to give no offense, even to those who usurped

authority and rule, and exercised the severest tyranny over

us, yet my life and property have been threatened, upon

mere suspicion of being unfriendly to what is called ' the

American cause.' Indeed, every clergyman of the church

of England, who dared to act upon proper principles, was

marked out for infamy and insult, in consequence of which

the missionaries, in particular, have suffered greatly. Some

of them have been dragged from their houses, assaulted with

stones and dirt, ducked in water, and obliged to fly for their

lives, driven from their habitations and families, laid under

ârrest and imprisonment. I believe they were all, or at

.least most of them, reduced to the same necessity with me,

of shutting up their churches. It is, however, a great plea-

sure to assure the venerable Society that, though"! have been

deprived of the satisfaction of discharging my public duties

to my congregations, I have endeavored, I trust not unsuc-

cessfully, to be beneficial to them in another way. I have

visited them from hour to hour, regularly instructed their

families, baptized and catechised their children, and per-

formed such other duties as atoned for my suspension from

public teaching."

Mr. Barton's connection with the congregation of St.

James, in Lancaster, ceased sometime in the year 1777, and

near the close of the following year he and his wife went to

New York, in pursuance of permission granted by the

government of Pennsylvania, under certain conditions, one

of which was, that he should not return again. His removal

to New York was occasioned by his refusal to take the oath

of allegiance to the American government, and a passjDort

was furnished him by the Supreme Executive Council, for

his banishment within the British lines. All his children,

excepting the oldest, remained in Pennsylvania. For nearly

two years he was not permitted to see his children. In 1779

his son returned from Europe, when David Rittenhouse,

-Col. Samuel J. Atlee, (formerly one of his parishioners), and

others, exerted their influence to obtain an interview

between the parents and children. In reply to a letter from

one of these friends, apprising him of his son's arrival home,

OF LAXCASTER COUNTY. 35

after a long absence, dated January 30tli, 1779, Mr. Barton

thus explains tlie scruples whicli actuated his conduct, and

reveals the sorrow which worked in the parental heart

:

" I am just informed that my son has returned to his

native country, after an absence of between three and four

years. How melancholy and distressing is my situation

!

Separated from eight children, and three congregations, to

whom I am bound by duty, gratitude, and every tie of

affection ! A parent only knows a parent's woes;and such

will feel for me. You are kind enough to tell me that my son

requests me to return to my parish. What he can mean by

this request, I am totally at a loss to understand. Could the

matter have been determined by my option, I should never

have left my parish for any prospect or preferment that

could offer. But no choice was left me, but either to take

the oath or to suffer a painful separation from my dearest

connections, as well as from a country which has always

had, since I have known it, my predilections and best wishes

;

a country to which I can declare (with an appeal to heaven

for the truth of the declaration), I never did, or wished to

do, any act or thing prejudicial or injurious; and, though

my heart assures me that many conscientious and good menhave conformed to the test-act, yet my own conscience

always revolted at the abjuration part of it, and jDrevailed

with me to surrender every worldly consideration that

should come in competition or tempt me to a violation of

it. This, sir, was the only crime (if a crime it be) for which

I now suffer banishment from all that are most dear to me

:

with an interdict ^'not to return again.'" I cannot, therefore,

comprehend how I can, consistently, return before this

interdict is cancelled, or some assurance given me that I

may again unite and live quietly with my family, without

being subjected to an abjuration I cannot take. The proper

duties and profession of a minister of the Gospel should, in

my opinion, never lead him into the field of politics. In

conformity to this opinion, every man who knows me can tes-

tify, that I never degraded my profession by intermeddling,

directly or indirectly, in this present unhappy, contest ; so that

my own scruples would be a stricter tie upon me than any

36 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOBY

that could be made by oaths or tests. You will excuse mytroubling you on this subject, when I tell you that the kind

manner which you addressed me, has drawn it upon you."

In reply to another letter from Eittenhouse, he says :" To

see and be united with my children, is my earnest wish ; but

how that happy event is to be obtained, I know not ; if myson should choose to come to Elizabethtown, perhaps I

might be indulged with a flag, to have an interview with

him there." This letter, written on the 15th of February, 1779,

in connection with the preceding extract, shows the motives

and emotions by which Mr. B. claimed to have been influ-

enced. To understand the motives which actuated the gov-

ernment in thus separating a father from his family, and a

preacher from his congregation, we will glance at a corre-

spondence then going on between Mr. Bryan, Vice Presi-

dent of the Council, and General Washington. From a let-

ter dated March 5th, 1779, Mr. Bryan writes thus:

" This board, ever watchful of the public safety and happi-

ness, think it behooves them to communicate to you their

suspicion, that Mr. Paul Zantzinger, of the borough of Lan-

caster, in this State, merchant, who has lately gone hence for

camp, has a design of getting liberty to pass into New York.

For this purpose he will hold forth his desire to visit his

father-in-law, Eev. Thomas Barton, now in that city. Whenyou know the character and conduct of this divine, your

Excellency will judge better of smch a request. Mr. Barton

has long been a missionary stationed at Lancaster by the

society in England for propagating the Gospel. It is be-

lieved that he has been very instrumental in poisoning the

minds of his parishioners, who are generally of very dis-

affected principles, as to the present contest with Great

Britain. His late conduct in refusing to give the commonproofs of allegiance to this State and abjure the King of Great

Britain, and in taking the benefit of the indulgence of our

Legislature, which allowed him to sell his lands and retire,

as he said, to Europe; but above all, his acceptance of a

chaplaincy in a British regiment at New York (as is credi-

bly reported here), and thus actively joining the enemy,

confirm the worst ideas that have been entertained of this


gentleman. I would suggest, that Mr. Zantzinger is a

trader, who has never manifested much attention to the present

contest, and very likely to be drawn by interested views to a

mart where European merchandizes are sold at prices in-

viting to men who seek profit merely.

" Mr. Z. is probably accompanied by a son of Mr. Barton,

a young gentleman lately returned from England, where he

has been weaned of all fond attachment to that corrupted

country, and brought to see the happiness and independence

of North America in their proper light and connection.

Young Mr. Barton is a much clearer character with us than

his brother-in-law, and as such I venture to mention him."

To this General Washington replied, under date of March

10th, as follows

:

" I am much obliged to you for the attention y«u dis-

cover to prevent any intercourse with the enemy, which

might be attended with doubtful circumstances. I had

taken my measures with the gentlemen who are the objects

of your information before I received your letter, and

restricted them to our own lines at Elizabethtown Point,

where they had liberty to see their friends if they could ob-

tain leave to come over. This I imagined a sufiicient secu-

rity against any consequences which might be apprehended

from a more liberal indulgence."

This indulgence was not obtained until in April, 1780,

when, chiefly through the influence of President Eeed, the

Council granted a passport, thus sanctioned by General

Washington ; in pursuance of which, Mr. Barton met his

family at Elizabethtown for the last time on earth. Ofcourse the meeting must have been as affecting as the circum-

stances connected with it were painful. After the interview,

he bade adieu to his children and returned to New York,

where he died on the 25th of the following month, in the

50th year of his age. His remains were interred in the

chancel of St. George's Chapel in that city. His wife

(formerly a Miss Thornbury), to whom he was married in

1776, survived him many years, much esteemed for her manyvirtues, by Mr. Barton's descendants. His first wife (for-

merly Miss Ether Kittenhouse), now lies interred under what


is known as "the Coleman pew," in St. James' Episcopal

church, in this city.*

BAKTON, Ehea, son of Wm. Barton, born at Lancaster,

was a leading physician of Philadelphia. He graduated with

distinction at the University of Pennsylvania, and soon

attained position as a surgeon, excelling in the treatment of

difficult cases. His treatment of compound fracture of the

leg by bran dressing, is still followed in our large hospitals.

His name has been associated with a peculiar fracture of the

radius, involving the wrist joint, and with an ingenious ban-

dage for dressing a broken jaw. He was married to a daugh-

ter of the late Jacob Eidgway, of Philadelphia. Dr. Barton

died at his residence on South Broad street, Philadelphia,,

January 1st, 1871.

BAETON, William, the oldest son of Eev. Thomas Bar-

ton, was a man of solid ability and great energy of charac-

ter. In September, 1775, at the suggestion of his father, he

left America for England, bearing with him letters of recom-

mendation from Bishop Peters, and other* persons. While

in Europe, he laid the foundation of his education, and

otherwise advanced his literary interests, for which he

had a peculiar fondness. He left England in 1778, and re-

turned to America by way of Holland and the West Indies,

and landed at Baltimore, January 8th, 1779. On his pas-

sage from the West Indies to the continent, he assisted in

making prize of a British Privateer, which was brought to

Baltimore. Immediately upon landing, he took the oath of

fidelity and allegiance to the United States Government.

Upon his arrival at Lancaster, he received a letter from

David Eittenhouse, dated January 24th, 1779, in which he

says :" I most sincerely congratulate you on your safe ar-

rival, and impatiently expect the pleasure of seeing you

here. I received yours from Baltimore, ten days after the

date, and immediately wrote to your father, supposing him

to be still in New York, though we cannot be certain as ta

that matter." He was shortly afterwards admitted to the

Lancaster bar, and also chosen an officer of the militia of the

*Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit. Documentary History

of the State of New York, Vol. IV., pp. 229-240.


"boroiigli of Lancaster. His advocacy of the cause of the

struggling colonies was warm and enthusiastic. On the 18th

of August, 1789, he was nominated by President Washing-

ton, one of the judges of the Western Territory, and th&

Senate ratified the nomination. He was afterwards (with

but two exceptions), unanimously recommended by the

Lancaster Bar, for the appointment to the President Judge-

ship of the district, composed of the counties of Lancaster,

Chester, York and Dauphin. In 1779, he was an ardent

Eepublican, and a staunch advocate of the election of

Thomas McKean, for Governor of Pennsylvania. Being a

finished scholar and a fine writer, he was, during that cam-

paign, the one generally selected to draft the Democratic

addresses, then a leading feature of political parties. Hewas, in 1800, appointed Prothonotary of Lancaster county,

and this office, together with the commission of Clerk of the

Orphans' Court, which he obtained in 1803, he held up to

1809, when he was succeeded by John Passmore. He after-

wards removed to Philadelphia, and was chosen Secretary to

the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. Heobtained from the University of Pennsylvania the honorary

title of Master of Arts. He is the author of a dissertation

on the Freedom of Navigation and Maritime Commerce,

and also of a biography of the Philosopher Eittenhouse.

BARTON, William, was elected Clerk of the Quarter

Sessions and Oyer and Terminer, in the year 1869.

BAUMAN, Bexjamin, was appointed Register of Wills

of Lancaster county, in 1818.

BAUSMAN, Rev. B., D.D., son of John and Elizabeth

Bausman, was born in Lancaster township, Lancaster county,

Pa., January 28th, 1824. The days of his childhood and

youth were spent in the bosom of his parental home. As a

youth and young man, he was trained to farm work. In

early infancy, he was baptized by the Rev. John Henry

Hoffmeier. He was nurtured and brought up according to

the customs and faith of the Reformed church. At the age

of eighteen he became a member of the (First) Reformed

conoTesratioH of Lancaster.


After enjoying the educational advantages then usual for

boys of his age, he studied for several successive winters,

with the late Thomas Yearrel, in the old Quaker meeting

house, South Queen street (what has since become the OddFellows' Hall). In the winter of 1846 he studied in the old

Franklin College, Lancaster. In the following May he

commenced his studies in Marshall College, Mercersburg,

Pa. He graduated in the college, and in 1852 completed

his course of study in the Theological Seminary of the same

place. In October, 1852, he was licensed to preach the

Gospel, at a meeting of the Synod of the Eeformed church,

held in Baltimore, Md. Several months later he was

ordained to the Gospel ministry, by the Susquehanna Classis,

and installed as pastor of the Eeformed church, at Lewis-

burg, Pa.

In April, 1856, his congregation gave him leave of

absence, in order to make a tour to Europe and the East.

On this tour he visited England, Scotland and Ireland,

traversed Europe three times, from the Northern Ocean to

the borders of Italy, spent two months in Berlin, visited

the leading cities of Italy, and tarried one month in Home.

Thence he proceeded over Naples and Malta to Egypt,

visited Alexandria, Grand Cairo, the Pyramids, and the

country round about; he proceeded on his journey through

the Wilderness of Sinai, to Jerusalem. After visiting the

principal sacred places in Palestine, he returned to the

United States in the beginning of July, 1857.

In 1858, he was elected by the Synod of the Eeformed

church, associate editor of the Reformed Messenger, then

published at Chambersburg, Pa. Subsequently he was

promoted to the position of chief editor of this paper. In

1861 he resigned this position, and accepted a call from the

First Eeformed church, of Chambersburg, Pa. In 1863 he

l)ecame pastor of the First Eeformed church, of Eeading,

Pa., where he is still laboring.

On the 1st of January, 1867, Dr. Bausman accepted the

editorship of the Guardian, a monthly -magazine, founded

some twenty years ago, by the late Eev. Dr. H. Harbaugh,

which position he is still holding.

OF LANCAgTER COUNTY. 41

After liis removal to Eeading, Dr. Bausmaa felt the want

of a religious paper to suit the tastes and wants of the

Pennsylvania German class of Eeformed people. In 1867

he commenced the publication of the Reformirte Hausfreund,

with the view of meeting this want. The object was to

publish a paper, written, as far as possible, in the simple,

transparent style of Luther and Claudius. It was, in a

measure, an experiment, and, as the result has shown, a

successful one. The Hausfreund still has its original editor.

It is an unique publication, but one that has many warmfriends and considerable influence.

Dr. Bausman is the author of a work, entitled "Sinai and

Zion, or a Pilgrimage through the Wilderness to the Laud

of Promise," a volume of 543 pages, which has reached its

fifth edition.

He also edited HarhaugKs Hart\ a volume of poems in

the Pennsylvania German dialect, written by the late Dr. H.

Harbaugh.

At the commencement of Franklin and Marshall College,

held in June, 1871, the title of D.D. was conferred on him.

BAUSMAN, John, was born in 1780, in Freilaubersheim,

in the Palatinate, Germany. His parents were namedHenry and Barbara Bausman. He emigrated to America

in 1802, and settled in Lancaster county. In 1805 he

married Elizabeth Peters, and raised a numerous and very

respectable family.

BAUSMAN, William, was a Justice of the Peace, and

acted for many years as a scrivener in Lancaster. He was

elected County Commissioner in 1775. In 1777 he waselected Burgess of Lancaster borough. On February 1st,

1809, he was appointed Eecorder of Deeds of Lancaster

county. He owned considerable landed estate around Lan-

caster.

BAXTER, James, emigrated from Ireland, and located in

Bart township. He afterwards moved to Colerain. He waselected a member of the Legislature in the years 1810 and

1811. He was a pure, honest and upright man, and had the

fullest confidence of his fellow citizens.

42 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOKY

BEATES, Rev. "Wm., was born in Philadelphia, in the year

1777. He served an apprenticeship as a tobacconist, but

on arriving at the years of manhood, he became awakened

on the subject of religion and studied divinity. After taking

orders, he was stationed at (irermantown, Pa., where he

remained a number of years. Upon the solicitation of

the people of Chestnut Hill, near Litiz, in this county, he

removed from Germantown, and took charge of the Chest-

nut Hill congregation. Here he continued to labor for

fiffeen years, with great diligence and zeal. He next

removed to Lancaster city, and finding the German Lutheran

congregation of Lancaster scattered and distracted by dissen-

sions, he at once set to work to reorganize and heal all the

difl'erences existing in the congregation, and in this labor he

was entirely successful. He found the church groaning under

a load of debt, and no means at hand or prospect of its pay-

ment. He consented to serve the congregation as their

pastor for a stipulated salary. His salary, however, as soon

as he drew it, was immediately appropriated by him annually

to the liquidation of the debt on the church, and in this mannerdid he serve his congregation until the whole indebtedness

was removed. Thus did this faithful and devoted minister

of Christ labor and toil, like his Master, virtually without

compensation, but in doing so he raised an imperishable

monument in the hearts of his people and of the community,

never to be forgotten. Such works as his deserve to be

recorded as memorials for all coming time. This genuine

servant of Christ was no wolf in sheep's clothing, and for

many years of his later life he bore in the community the

affectionate name of "Father Beates." Long may he be

remembered. He is gone, but his name is gratefully

remembered by many.

Father Beates died May 16th, 1867, in his 91st year. Hewas blessed in the attainment of longer years than is usually

allotted to man; and he was doubly blessed in his removal

from earth, at a moment when, with sanctified mind, he was

piously engaged in the administration of the blessed sacra-

ment of the Lord's Supper to the members of his family.

At that moment the angel of peace beckoned the aged and

OF LAXCASTEE COUNTY. 43

faithful servant to come and sit down in the mansions of

bliss, and accept the crown of glory which his life of

humility and self-sacrifice on earth had merited.

BECK, John, was born June 16th, 1791, at Graceham,

Frederick county, Maryland. In his sixth year he came

with his parents to Pennsylvania, who located in the neigh-

borhood of Elizabethtown, Lancaster county, from whence

they moved, some years afterwards, to Lebanon county, in

the same State. In the district that his parents occupied,

tliere were no schools, and the subject of this notice was

sent to Nazareth Hall, in 'Northampton county. Pa., to

receive an education.

Upon the completion of his education he returned home,

and was, in accordance with the opinion of his father, (that

every boy should be taught a mechanical occupation,)

apprenticed in Litiz, in his 15th year, to learn the shoe-

making trade. In this avocation the next ten years of his

life were spent, as an apprentice and journeyman shoemaker.

On the 2nd of January, 1815, he began teaching school in

an old building that had been used as a blacksmith shop,

and with eminent success. He had now entered the career

for which nature had peculiarly fitted him. His efforts to

promote the interests of his pupils, and the progress they

made under his care, soon become noised abroad, and it was

not long till pupils began to come to him from a distance.

His reputation was established. Pupils entered his school

from all parts of Lancaster county, and scarce a State in the

Union but had its representatives in his academy. His

eminent success in this line, led to the establishment of his

large Educational Institute, in which several thousands of

boys have laid t'iC foundation of their education, and where

students flocked for years from all parts of, the United

States, Canada, and the West Indies. Among his numerouspupils are men now engaged in various occupations, some as

mechanics, manufacturers, lawyers, clergymen and phy-

sicians, principals of academies, members of State Legisla-

tures and of the national Congress, and officers in the armyand navy. His pupils fill the pulpits of ten difl'erent

denominations.


After the devotion of fifty years of his life to teaching, he

retired from his calling on the 31st day of May, 1865, and

now lives in easy and comfortable retirement. And though

retired, he is by no means idle, as he is regularly in the

habit of visiting schools and witnessing the progress of

the pupils. He is, and has been for years, in the habit of

visiting schools and institutes of learning in different parts

of Lancaster and adjoining counties; and he annually

addresses, in his peregrinating tours, thousands of pupils.

His life has been one of great activity and usefulness.

BENTZ, Christian, was elected a member of the Legis-

lature in the years 1845 and 1846.

BEISSEL, Conrad, was a native of Germany, and fled to

escape persecution in his own land. He arrived in America

about 1720, and settled at Mill Port, Lancaster county, in

1729, where he and a companion built themselves a house;

they were soon afterwards joined by other early settlers.

Wholly intent upon seeking out the true obligation of the

word of God and the proper observance of the rites and

ceremonies it imposed, stripped of human authority, he

conceived that there was an error among the Dunkers as

regards the observance of the Sabbath—that it was the

Seventh day that was commanded by the Lord to be observed,

and that this day having been commanded and sanctified byJehovah, its observance, in the opinion of Beissel, was a

matter of perpetual obligation. No change, nor authority

for change, had ever been announced to man by any power

sufl&cient to set aside the solemn decree of the Almighty—

a

decree which he regarded as sanctified to the end of time.

Beissel, therefore, felt it to be his duty to contend for the

observance of the Seventh day as the Sabbath, that

Christians are under obligation to keep sacred.

It was not long after 1723 that he published a tract, enter-

ing into a discussion of this point, which created some excite-

ment and disturbance in the Society at Mill Creek. Uponthis account Beissel retired from the settlement, and went

secretly to a cell on the banks of the Cocalico Creek, said to

have been previously occupied by one Elimelich, a hermit.

His place of retirement was for a long time unknown to the


people lie had left, and when discovered, many of the Society

at Mill Creek, who had become convinced of the truth of

his proposition for the observance of the Sabbath, settled

around him in solitary cottages. They adopted the original

Sabbath, the Seventh day, for public worship, in the year

1728 ; and from that period, this day has continued to be

observed by their descendants.

When in the year 1732, the solitary life was changed into

a conventual one, and a monastic society was formed, the

title of Father (spiritual father) was bestowed upon Beissel,

and his monastic name was Friedsam, and to this the breth-

ren afterwards added that of Gottrecht, implying therein

peaceable and godly. Beissel now devoted with great assid-

uity his whole time and attention to the spiritual advance-

ment of his flock ; the management of his secular affairs were

entirely entrusted to others. Thus unencumbered by tem-

poral concerns, he was enabled to consecrate his strength to

instructing his followers in the Word of life, and establish-

ing amongst them the gospel in all its truth and simplicity.

The titles of Father and Gottrecht were conferred upon him

by his followers, and were not presumptuous assumptions

on his part.

Morgan Edwards, in his " Materials towards a History of

the American Baptists," published in 1770, gives the follow-

ing character of Beissel: "He was very strict in his morals,

and practiced self-denial to an uncommon degree. Enthusi-

astic and whimsical he certainly was, but an apparent

devoutness and sincerity ran through all his oddities. Hewas not an adept in any of the liberal arts and sciences, except

music, in which he excelled. He composed and set to musio

(in three, four, six and eight parts), a folio volume of hymns,

and another of anthems. He published a dissertation on

the fall of man in the mysterious strain, and also a volume

of letters. He left behind him several books in manuscript,

curiously written and embellished."

Beissel wrote a book on Human Depravity, which is as

curious as it is ingenious. He enters into long disquisitions

on the nature of Adam and his capabilities before the fall;

explaining many things pertaining to the fall, and with it


elucidating several parts of the Scriptures which would

easily have escaped the attention of men of more profundity

of genius. His views are somewhat mysterious, yet deep

and ingenious; but, in the present day, would be deemed

little more than refined speculations sublimated into visions.

Conrad Beissel died July 6th, 1768, aged 77 years and 4

months.

BETHEL, Samuel, was born in Columbia, Lancaster

county, Pa. He was a sister's son of Samuel Blunston.

Having lost his father when young, he, at the instance of

Dr. Kuhn, was sent to Philadelphia, where he received a

classical education, and graduated with the reputation of

being one of the best mathematicians of the country. Hewas completely master of Euclid, and a case of his mathe-

matical instruments is yet preserved. He read law, and

was admitted to the bar in 1795. He inherited a large

quantity of real estate in Lancaster county, and the ground

upon which Bethelstown now stands, was his property. Hemarried Sarah, a daughter of Gen. Edward Hand, of revolu-

tionary memory. He was elected twice to the Pennsylvania

Legislature, and served therein as a member during the

sessions of 1808 and 1809. He died in the year 1819, aged

about 48 years. He lies buried in the Brick Cemetery, in

Columbia.

BILLINGFELT, Esaias, was born January 11, 1827, at

Eeamstown, Lancaster county, of jDoor parentage. He was

left an orphan at an early age. He attended the public

schools of his native place, where he made such progress

that when twelve years of age he was occasionally employedas an assistant teacher. He was, however, soon compelled

to devote his time to hard labor to earn a subsistence. Heworked as a day laborer, and also learned the trade of a

hatter. From his sixteenth year he taught school almost

every winter until 1848. In the fall of the latter year he

entered the office of the late Peter Martin, where he studied

the art of surveying, and made himself familiar with scriven-

ing and conveyancing. In 1860 the village ofAdamstown wasincorporated as a borough, and Mr. Billingfelt having pre-

viously moved to that place, he was in that year elected


Justice of the Peace, which position he held by repeated re-

elections until the year 1863. Meanwhile, in the year 1862,

he had been appointed Deputy United States Marshal for

Lancaster county. In the fall of 186-3 Mr. Billingfelt was

elected to the House of Eepresentatives of Pennsylvania,

and was in the following year re-elected. His course in this

position was so satisfactory to his constituents, that he was,

in the fall of 1866, elected to the Senate of Pennsylvania, and

at the expiration of his term, in 1869, was re-elected. In

this capacity he served, during the session of 1870, as chair-

man of the Committee on Finance, and in 1872 he was

chairman of the Committees on Federal Eelations, Eetrench-

ment and Eeform, and also chairman of the Committee on

Constitutional Eeform.

BLACK, James, was born in Lewisburg, Union county,

Pennsylvania, September 23rd, 1823. He removed with his

parents in 1835 to Lancaster city, which he has since madehis permanent home. After the attainment of the rudiments

of an English education, evincing a rare fondness for books,

he was sent by his parents to the Lewisburg Academy, where

he acquired a fair knowledge of the Latin and Grreek lan-

guages. He next began the study of law in the office of

James F. Linn, of Lewisburg, afterwards read with Wm.I?. Fordney, esq., of Lancaster, and was admitted to the

bar in 18-16.

Early in life, conceiving a strong dislike to the fashionable

habit of dram-drinking, he joined a temperance organization

in 18-40, of which cause he has proved himself one of the

most ardent and efficient advocates. Since the period of the

Maine prohibitory law movement, in 1851, Mr. Black has

acted conspicuously as a leading mover in the temperance

cause, and liis name has become widely known as one of<;he

most sincere and enthusiastic champions of prohibition in

America. No State or national temperance movement of im-

portance from that period up to thei^resent time has been

held, in which Mr. Black's name does not appear as a con-

spicuous participant. Always alive to the evils of intem-

perance, as they presented themselves to his mind, he has

ever worked with that glowing enthusiasm which heroism


inspires. His is the ardor whicli the rack and the funeral

pile do not intimidate, and though by the unreflecting his zeal

may pass for fanaticism, in the eyes of others it is the index

of genuine nobility and true manhood.

In politics, Mr. Black was a Democrat until 1854, whenthe question of slavery began to absorb all others. His

bitter hatred of southern slavery, then induced him to yield

his adhesion to the Eepublican party of the country, which

first unfurled its national banner in 1856. With this party

he has continued to act until a recent period. At the

National Prohibition Convention, held at Cincinnati, Febru-

ary 22nd, 1872, Mr. Black was nominated as the candidate of

the Temperance party for the oSice of President of the United

States, a marked tribute of respect for the ability and warmthwhich he had displayed in his humanitarian efforts to elevate

his fellow men.

In sincerity, honesty and boldness of purpose, Mr. Black

ranks amongst the noblest of his kind, and though his en-

thusiasm may be criticised, his motives can not be im-

peached.

BLUNSTON, Samuel, a native of England, was one of

the early settlers of Columbia. He was a man of consider-

able means, and bought in 1728 five hundred acres of land,

that had been the year before taken up by Eobert Barber.

His first house was a log cabin, erected near the spot where

the present house of Samuel B. Heise now stands. Heimported the bricks from England that were used in the

erection of the present house of Mr. Heise, and some of the

bricks were used in the construction of the wall of the

Brick Cemetery. He was an active, enterprising man, in

his day, and the citizens elected him a member of the State

Legislature for 1732. He was three times subsequently

elected, and served in that capacity during the sessions of

1741, 1742 and 1744. He served as a legislator, in all, four

sessions. A Scotch filtering stone, imported by him from

England, is yet preserved as a relic, by Mr. S. B. Heise.

Samuel Blunston was married, yet left no lineal descendants,

and his large estate was divided amongst his collateral heirs.

He lies buried in the Brick Cemetery in Columbia.


*BOEHM, Eev. Henry. Ilis grandfather was born in

1693, and emigrated from the Palatinate to America in

1715. He was induced to this step by the glowing descrip-

tions given of this country by Martin Kendig, the head of

one of the seven families who had settled in what is now

Lancaster county. He landed in Philadelphia, from thence

he went to Germantown, then to Lancaster, and finally

settled in Pequea, Lancaster county. Soon after his

arrival, he married a Miss Kendig, bought a farm, and built

himself a house. He was by trade a blacksmith, the first

in all that region.

Martin Boehm, the father of our subject, was born Novem-

ber 30, 1725, and married, in 1753, Eve Steiner, whose

ancestors were from Switzerland. Having inherited his

father's beautiful farm, in 1750 he built a house, in which

his children were all born.

Martin Boehm was first a Mennonite preacher, for that

was the religion of his fathers. He became conspicuous in

the movement which resulted in the organization of the

church of " The United Brethren in Christ." Martin Boehmand Asbury were lifelong and fast friends. Asbury preached

Boehm's funeral sermon, at Boehm's chapel, April 5, 1812.

Henry Boehm, the subject of this memoir, was born in

the old homestead, in Couestoga (now Pequea) township,

June Sth, 1775. He was born nine years before the Metho-

dist Episcopal church, of which he isa member, was organized.

His memory recurs to the time wdien persons traveled to Fort

Pitt on pack horses. He had a common school education,

and the old school-house and the schoolmaster he remem-bers distinctly. The teacher boarded from house to house.

His preceptor, being a fine German scholar, he acquired a

..correct knowledge of this language. This, in after years,

was a great benefit to him when he preached in German,for he was one of the first among the Methodists that

preached in that language. This he has done in fourteen

d liferent States.

When, after an absence of many years, the aged patriarch

paid a visit to his native town, he inquired for his old school-

"Contributed by J. B. Good, esq.

4


fellows, hoping to find one with whom he could converse

about bj^-gone days, but he inquired in vain. They were all

gone, and he found himself alone and lonely. Dihvorth's

spelling book, from which he learned English, and the knife

and fork he used when a little boy, have been preserved as

relics of his childhood.

nis early advantages for religious instruction were good.

He was "brought up in the nurture and admonition of the

Lord." Morning and evening the old family bible was read

and prayer was offered. His mother, too, had much to do in

moulding his character and shaping his destiny. One evening

as he returned home, he heard a familar voice engaged in

prayer. He listened: it was his mother. Among other

things, she prayed for her children and mentioned Henry, her

youngest son. The mention of his name melted the heart

of the listener. Tears rolled down his cheek, and he felt

the importance of obeying God's command :" My son, give

me thine heart!"

In 1793 the entreaties and prayers of the father jjrevailed,

and the son's stubborn heart yielded, and he experienced, as

he always believed, the forgiveness and pardon of his sin.

The subject of this sketch was born near what is knownas Boehm's chapel. It was the first Methodist house of

worship built in Lancaster county, about six miles south of

Lancaster city. This chapel was erected in 1791. It was

called "Boehm's chapel," because it was built on Boehm's

land; and the several Boehm families contributed muchtowards its erection. There were great gatherings at

Boehm's chapel. The Bishops and distinguished lights of

Methodism found their way there, and preached the Word of

life. At quarterly meetings, the people came from Phila-

delphia and Maryland, and Boehm's chapel was a center of

influence. It is difficult now to estimate the position it

once occupied in Methodism.

In 1798, during a quarterly meeting held in this chapel,

the now venerable subject of this sketch was converted.

A few months before his probation expired, they appointed

him a class-leader, at Soudersburg.

In 1800 young Boehm attended the general Conference oi

OP LANCASTER COUNTY. 51

tlie Methodist church, which commenced its session on

Tuesday, May 6th, at Baltimore. In the same year Boehm,

ill company with Dr. Chandler, visited Cape Henlopen, and

here he saw the ocean for the first time, and having been

sick he tried sea bathing, from which he received great

benefit. When he returned home he found his father ready

to set out on a ministerial tour, and he accompanied him.

His father was then allied with the United Brethren. After

attending a Conference of this latter body, at which his

father was elected one of the Bishops, he nevertheless

resolved to travel as an itinerant Methodist minister, and in

the same year began his .labors.

There was great political excitement at the time. Feder-

alism and Democracy ran high, and JeSerson and Adamswere talked about everywhere. The excitement sejjarated

families, friends and church members. Boehm was urged

on all sides to join one political party or the other.

Bishop Asbury visited his circuit, and he went with

him to the Conference, which met in Philadelphia, on

Saturday, May 1st, 1802. At this Conference he was

appointed to Kent Circuit. This was the oldest circuit on

the Peninsula, being formed in 1774. lie traveled this cir-

cuit till August, when his presiding elder removed him to

Northampton Circuit, Pennsylvania, one embracing several

counties, besides Northampton, Montgomery, Berks and

others.

Another preaching place was at Smithfield, Northampton

county ; also at Bristol, on the banks of the Delaware, 20

miles from Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Conference met at Duck Creek Cross

Eoads, now Smyrna, in May, 1803, in the Friends' Meeting

House, the Methodists tising their own for divine worship.

During the session of the Conference Boehm, was appointed

to Bristol Circuit.

After this, Bishop Asbury visited and asked him to ac-

company him in his travels. They set out for the west,

and arrived in Somerset county. Here Boehm preached in

German. The Bishop said :" Henry, you had better return

and preach to the Germans, and I will pursue my journey


alone." Shortly after tMs lie acquired the ability to preach

readily in English.

On October 22nd, the yearly meeting of the United Breth-

ren was held at his father's place. These meetings generally

lasted three days, and were seasons of great interest. Hesays: "I had made an appointment to preach in the Court

House at Beading, but the Commissioners refused to give

up the key, and a large number who were assembled were

disappointed. There wis, in this town, a deep-rooted preju-

dice against the Methodists which continued for years. WhenI passed through Eeading, in 1810, with Bishop Asbury,

the boys laughed at iis and said:' 'There go the Metho-

dist preachers.' They knew us by our garb, and perhaps

thought it no harm to ridicule us. In 1823, when on Lan-

caster circuit, I succeeded in planting Methodism in Eead-

ing, and formed the first class there, where I had been shut

out a score of years before. This I consider quite a triumph

.

"Harrisburg was another of our preaching places. I was

in the neighborhood of where Harrisburg now stands in 1793.

It was then called Harris' Ferry, from John Harris, its

founder. In 1803 it was a small place, and Lancaster was

then the capital of Pennsylvania.

"Columbia was another of our preaching places. I was at

this spot in 1791, when it was called ' Wright's Ferry,' from

John Wright, a Quaker preacher, who came from England,

and was the original land proprietor.

"My presiding elder was James Smith, a native of Ireland.

We used to call him 'Big Jimmy,' to distinguish him from

two other James Smiths. I took a tour with him for

several days. He preached in English, and I immediately

translated his sermons into German. There was no other

way to get access to the people, many of them having never

heard a sermon in English."

The Philadelphia Conference of 1801 was held at Souders-

burg, commencing May 28th. The place was called Souders-

burg, from Benjamin and Jacob Souders, the proprietors.

They were both Methodists ; Benjamin being'a local preacher.

Methodism was introduced here in 1791, and a house of

worship built in 1801. The Conference was held in a pri-

OF LANCASTER COTINTT. 53

vate room, at the house of Benjamin Souders, that the meet-

ing-house might be used for preaching. There were 120

preachers present, and Boehm exulted at the idea of a Meth-

odist Conference being held in his native county.

At this Conference he was appointed to Dauphin circuit.

On April 1st, 1805, he attended the Baltimore Conference

in Winchester, Virginia, a place where Methodism had early

been introduced.

At this Conference there were seventy-four preachers

jjresent and here Boehm, for the first time, saw Rev. William

Waters, the first American Methodist traveling preacher,

and also heard him preach.

The Philadelphia Conference met on May 1, 1805, in

Chestertown, Md., in the court house, that the meeting

house might be occupied for preaching. Here Bishop What-coat ordained seven deacons, among whom was Henry Boehm,

whose father was present, desirous to see his son invested

with full ministerial powers.

He was at this Conference appointed to St. Mary's Circuit.

In his travels in this circuit, he met Lorenzo Dow, who, he

says, was an irregular, eccentric and yet powerful preacher.

He heard him several years afterwards, in Camden, N. J.,

where he appeared quite changed and shorn of his strength.

In 1807 he was, with Wm. Hunter, appointed to Penn-

.sylvania Circuit, embracing that part of the State which

lies between the Delaware and Susquehanna Eivers. " It

was not," he says, " till 1807 that we got a permanent foot-

hold -in Lancaster. It was very hard soil for Methodism.

Twice we made a beginning, but failed; and for several years,

the place was abandoned. We had no preaching there, only

an occasional sermon. The introduction of Methodism into

Lancaster was providential. The translation of the Metho-

dist discipline into German, had something to do with it. In

1807 I went to Lancaster to read the proof sheets of this

translation at the printers. After I had read them and was

about to return home, it commenced raining hard, and I put

up at a public house where I had often stopped. Annoyed

by the noise and confusion of the peoi3le, I left the public

house and took a walk through Lancaster, to while away the


time. While going along the street, I met with a womanwho had been a member of the Methodist church, in Ger-

mantown. She told me there was a man by the name of

Philip Benedict, in Lancaster, who had been awakened at

a camp-meeting, and he and his wife were seeking the Lord

;

and she advised me to call and see them, telling me where

they lived. I went to their house, pointed them to Jesus,

and prayed with them. As I was about leaving they said,

' that we could have Methodist preaching in Lancaster.'

I told them they could have it. So I left an appointment

to preach at his house. It became a permanent preaching

place. In a little while I formed a class of six members :

Philip Benedict and his wife and four others. This was

the nucleus of the society, which remained permanent. I

am thankful that I had the honor of planting the tree of

Methodism in that city. Behold, how many links there are

in this singular chain ; how many small causes to bring such

results."

At the request of Bishop Asbury, and the Philadelphia

Conference, Boehm had the Methodist discipline translated

into German, in 1807. He employed Dr. Eomer, and aided

him in the translation. They frequently compared notes

and consulted about certain terms. Boehm employed Henry

and Benjamin Grimier, printers, in Lancaster, to print 1500

copies. The Germans had an idea that the Mothodists had

no discipline. This translation corrected the error.

At the Philadelphia Conference, held on the 20th of March,

1808, Boehm, with two colleagues, was appointed to his old

field of labor.

After this. Bishop Asbury again chose Boehm as his

traveling companion ; and he traveled v/ith the latter

around a large diocese.

"The venerable Asbury says Boehm was sixty-three years

old when I began to travel with him. Having been greatly

exposed, he was feeble and suffered from many infirmities.

I traveled with him much longer than any of his other

companions, and hence survived them all many years."

He left the Bishop infirm at Brownsville, Pa., for a while,

and went to preach, or " fill his appointments," while the


family where lie stayed took care of him. Boehm reached

Pittsburg, and preached in the court house to about a thous-

and people, who came to hear the Bishop, and saw but a

plain German youth from their own State.

After the Bishop had recovered his health, they started for

Oliio, preaching in various places.

In September 6th, 1808, having spent some time in Cin-

cinnati, they left for Indiana Territory, then a vast wilder-

ness. At that time the Methodist church had but seven

Conferences. The Western Conference included all the vast

tract of country lying west of the Alleghanies, as far as it

was settled, except Monongahela District, which belonged to

the Baltimore Conference. The Western Conference met

on October 1st, at Liberty Hill, Tennessee. Some of the

appointments made at this Conference embraced the terri-

tory of whole States.

The day after the Western Conference adjourned, Boehm,

in company with two Bishops, started for the South Carolina

Conference, which was to meet in Liberty chapel. Green

county, Georgia, on December 6th, 1808.

On November 23, 1808, Eembert's camp-meeting com-

menced, where Boehm for the first time saw the Southern

preachers, all of whom have passed away except. Pierce and

himself.

On the 2Sth of November they started for Charleston,

where Boehm was delighted with the warm-hearted brethren

he met with; but he adds to his reflections, "^vritten manyyears later: "It was a sad day for them when secession was

born, and they fired upon Fort Sumpter and the old time-

honored flag."

From here they went to Southern Conference, the two

Bishops riding in a chaise ; Boehm on horseback, as a kind

of body-guard. The Conference commenced Monday, Dec.

26th, 1808. Here Boehm witnessed the novelty of seeing a

camp-meeting held in winter, between Christmas and NewYear, where about a thousand people attended.

After the close of this Conference Boehm started for the

North; and towards the end of March, 1809, reached the

home of his parents again.


On April 3, 1809, the Pliiladelphia Conference met in St.

George's, Philadelphia, Pa. Bishops McKendree and Asbury

were both present. Boehm says :" It may be ashed to whom

I was amenable when I traveled with Bishop Asbury?" I

answer, to the Philadelphia Conference. It may be asked,

who represented me, as I had no presiding elder. I answer,

Bishop Asbury. AVhen the question was asked, " Is there

anything against Henry Boehm ?" The Bishop was the only

person who could answer it, for he was the only one whoknew how I spent the year ; and he would answer with great

gravity, "Nothing against Brother Boehm." It may be asked

how I was supported while I traveled with the Bishop ? I

answer, I received it from the different Conferences, as the

Bishops received their salaries. My salary was one hundred

dollars."

At the adjournment of the Conference, Bishop Asbury and

Boehm went- through New Jersey to Long Branch, Staten

Island, and Elizabethtown.

On Monday, May 7th, 1809, they left Newark for the city

of New York; and in the evening, Boehm went for the first

time to the old church in John street, built by Philip Em-bury, called "Wesley Chapel;" the first in the world named

after Wesley.

On May 10th the New York Conference commenced its

session in John street. There were 120 preachers present.

Bishops Asbury and McKendree were present.

June 16th, 1809, he, with Bishop Asbury, attended tlie

New England Conference at Monmouth, in Maine. After its

close, they traveled through northern New York; and after-

wards entered Pennsylvania, reaching the Valley of Wyom-ing, famed by Campbell.

Their ajipointments were generally sent forward, and in

consequence of heavy rains, swollen rivers and muddy roads,

they were eighty miles behind their Sabbath appointments.

The Bishojj says :" Brother Boehm upset the sulky and

broke the shaft."

From what hasbeen said, it is evident that the ofiiee of a

Methodist Bishop, at the time we speak of, was no sinecure

;

and that Boehm, in accompanying him, had more to do than


play the fine gentleman. It was, indeed, toil, intense toil, as

much as body and soul could endure. During this tour

Boehm visited all the Methodist Conferences then in existence

in the United States, and preached the gospel in fifteen

States, and became acquainted with the great men of

Methodism in the ministry and laity, East, West, North and

South. He says: "Never was- a mariner after a perilous

voyage more rejoiced to get into harbor than we were to

reach the old family mansion of my father. We arrived

there on Friday, July 28, 1809 ;but both my parents were

from home; therefore, Mr. Asbury concluded to go right on,

while I went to a camp-meeting, near Morgantown, where

I met my parents, and they embraced me with joy. I had

been in seven different States, besides the Province of Maine,

since I saw them. At the camp-meeting I heard my father

preach in German. I preached immediately afterwards in

English." He now started to overtake Bishop Asbury, and

came up with him on August 3, 1809, at Fort Littleton.

Soon after, our subject and -the Bishop directed their journey

westward, through Pittsburg to Cincinnati, where, on Sep-

tember 30, 1809, the Western Conference commenced its

session, and from thence to Charleston, South Carolina, where

Conference commenced on December 23, 1809.

They next returned to Virginia. Of this journey Kev.

Boehm says :" My sufferings can never be told. The day

we rode to Petersburg, we stopped to rest in the woods, and

I lay down upon a log, for I was too weak to sit up. Thetime came to start, and I told the Bishops (Bishop McKendreehad now rejoined us) to go, and leave me there. I felt as if

I would rather die on that log than go on. They lifted mefrom the log on to my horse, and in this plight I rode to

Petersburg. When, we arrived there, about sundown, I was

so weak they had to lift me from my horse and carry meinto the house."

On the way south of Washington, they met that peculiar

genius and unequaled orator, John Eandolph, of Roanoke. Hewas riding, and had his dogs with him in the carriage. His

complexion was very dark, and his eyes were black. They

reached Baltimore, and from here Boehm went to see his

6


father, who returned with him to Baltimore to attend the

Conference. The elder Boehm preached in the Eev. Otter-

bein's church. He, Otterbein, and Asburj, were great

friends. Henry Boehm says: "This was my father's last

visit to Baltimore, his last interview with Otterbein, and the

last time he ever attended an annual Conference. FromBaltimore they went to the Philadelphia Conference, which

commenced its session April 18, 1810, at Easton, Md.

When the appointments were read off, they included the

following :' Henry Boehm travels with Bishop Asbury.'

They now visited the Pittsfield (N. Y.) Conference, and from

there went to the New England and Genesee Conferences.

Boehm says of their journey from the Genesee Conference:

" We commenced our Southern and Western tour. Such a

doleful, fearful ride, few Bishops ever had;and it was one

calculated to make the traveler rejoice when at the end of

his journejr. Asbury, at that time, in consequence of infirmi-

ties, rode in a sulky, and I on horseback. Sometimes I

would ride before him, and then in the rear. We would

occasionally change when he was tired, or the roads very

rough."

Asbury, in his journal, says :" We must needs come the

Northumberland road; it is an awful wilderness. Alas!

read and prayed in the woods. I leave the rest to God.

In the last three days and a half we have ridden one hundred

and forty miles. What mountains, hills, rocks, roots

!

Brother Boehm was thrown from the sulky, but provi-

dentially not a bone was broken."

Again, Boehm says :" The road was so rough that Bishop

Asbury could not ride in the sulky; it jolted and hurt him,

so he and I exchanged, and he rode my horse, and I in his

vehicle. If he had been thrown out as I was, he probably

would have been killed. No bone of mine was broken, and

yet the flesh was torn from my left leg so that I was a cripple

for months. I suffered more than if it had been broken.

Eiding on horseback with that poor leg, no language can

describe my suffering."

Boehm and the Bishop reached home again. Mr. Boehmsays: "After an absence of months I remained at home


one day and two nights, and the Bishop said, 'Henry,

we must move.' My father and sister, and many others,

went to Lancaster, where, on the 5th of August, we had a

great dgy. The Bishop even felt an interest iu this place,

where we had such a hard time to obtain a foothold. Hepreached morning and evening; James Smith at three,and

I immediately after him in German. The Bishop rejoiced

to see such a comfortable house of worship here, and wrote :

' After forty years' labor we have a neat little chapel of our

own.' ' Good-bye,' I said to my friends, and at noon on

Monday, we were at Columbia, where the BLshop preached.

I was lame, and the lameness was increasing, but I did not

mention it to my parents, lest they should urge me to stay

at home, or worry about me when I was gone, therefore I

bore iny sufferings in silence."

Their route now again went through Carlisle, Shippens-

burg, Chambersburg, Connellsville, Brownsville, to Pitta-

burg. From Pittsburg they went Avest, to Chilicothe and

Cincinnati, to the Western Conference, which was held in

Shelby county, Ky. From there they went south and

attended the South Carolina Conference. January 28th,

1811, they started to cross Cape Fear river, and narrowly

escaped losing their horses and lives. Boehm says :" Bishop

Asbury was much alarmed, far more so than I had ever

seen him. Our preservation and that of the horses was

providential."

They next attended the Virginia Conference, then the

Baltimore Conference, after which Boehm left the Bishop

and went home to see his parents, whom he found well.

Mr. Boehm, on this trip, preached in Lancaster.

After the sessions of the Philadelphia and New England

Conferences, Bishop Asbury and he made a visit to Canada.

Boehm says :" We crossed the St. Lawrence in romantic

style. We hired four Indians to paddle us over. They

lashed three canoes together and put our horses in them,

their fore-feet in one canoe and their hind-feet in another.

It was a singular load, three canoes, three passengers (the

Bishop, Smith and myself), three horses and four Indians.

They were to take us over for three dollars."


From Canada they passed through the Genesee country, and

then reached home, the elder Boehm and Asbury to meet

on earth for the last time.

On August 20th they started for the west and south

;

attended the Virginia Conference February 20th,' 1812.

Afterwards, while attending the Baltimore Conference,

Bishop Asbury seemed to have a presentiment of the eider

Boehm's death, and they reached home and found the aged

patriarch no more.

Sunday, April 5th, Bishop Asbury preached his funeral

sermon at Boehm's Chapel, to an immense crowd.

On May 1st, 1812, they attended the General Conference

in the city of New York. This was the last General Confer-

ence Asbury attended.

Boehm soon afterwards ceased to travel with the Bishop.

The latter thus spoke of the connection with him in his

travels :" For five years he has been my constant compan-

ion. He served me as a son ; he served me as a brother;

he served me as a servant ; he served me as a slave."

Boehm was now appointed presiding elder of Schuylkill

district, embracing Boehm's Chapel, so that he might be

more with his widowed mother.

In 1815 he was appointed to Chesapeake district. OnJuly 4th he visited his mother, and Asbury met him there.

They went together to Lancaster, and there parted for the

last time. Asbury died at the house of George Arnold, of

Spottsylvania, Virginia, March 31st, 1816.

At the Philadelphia Conference, held April 18th, 1816,

Boehm was elected a delegate to the General Conference,

which met in Baltimore, May 1st, 1816. Bishop Asbury's

funeral service was here held, at which Boehm was one of

the mourners, and Bishop McKendree pronounced the funeral

oration. He left a will, of which Boehm was one of the

executors ; and now, for a long time, the only surviving one.

At the Conference held in Philadelphia, in April, 1817,

Boehm was appointed presiding elder of Chesapeake district.

He made several tours with Bishop McKendree, and also

with Bishoj:) George. In 1819 he was appointed presiding

elder of the Delaware district.


In April, 1821, Conference was held at Milford, Delaware

;

and Boehm was married now and resided there. He was

reappointed to the same district.

In 1823 he was on Lancaster circuit. His mother died

in November o£ that year, and was buried beside his father.

In 1826-7 he was on Strasburg district. For fourteen years

he was on circuits after he left the districts. He got a little

home on Staten Island, and took a supernumerary relation.

Here his wife died. He was a member of the General Con-

ference of 1832, and was present at the memorable Confer-

ence in 1844:, when the church South seceded. He had

much to do in laying the foundation of German Methodism

in New York. In 1856 he visited Lancaster again, where

he was heartily welcomed by John Boehm's widow. Hespent several weeks in the vicinity in visiting old friends,

and preaching. He found Philip Benedict and his wife still

living, who are now both dead. They talked over the early

struggles and triumphs of Methodism in Lancaster.

He visited Boehm's Chapel, from whose windows he could

see the graves of his father and mother. The friends of his

youth were all gone. He visited the west again, and won-

dered at the changes since he had traveled there. In Day-

ton, in the publishing house of the " United Brethren in

Christ," he saw a portrait of his father. Here he also saw

an excellent likeness of Father Otterbeiu.

He visited his relative, Samuel Binkley, who formerly

lived near his father. Here a cane was presented to him,

which originally belonged to Otterbein, who gave it to

Asbury, and ho gave it to the elder Boehm. After his

return home, he again went west and stayed a year in Cin.

cinnati, where he preached before Conference in Xenia, and

was present at the marriage of General Grant's sister in

Covington, Kentucky, to a German preacher stationed in

Cincinnati.

In 1861 he attended the General Conference in Philadel-

phia, and addressed it on the topics of the past and present.

He brought the tears to many eyes in recalling the hardships

he and many of the fathei's endured.

During the last few years he has annually made a visit to


Lancaster, where lie still preaches the Gospel whenever he

comes. His appearance is venerable and commanding, his

enunciation plain, distinct and deliberate. His memory is

very good, and anecdotes nearly a century old fall from his

lips with peculiar grace.

On October 1st, 1871, he was present by special invitation,

to lay the corner-stone of the new Methodist church in East

King street, Lancaster, where he expressed his gratification

in being able to behold the progress of the Methodist

churches from their early weakness and struggles to their

present position of influence in the community.

At the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal

church, held in May, 1872, at Brooklyn, New York, he was

present and addressed the assembled ministers, who heartily

welcomed the venerable veteran, and he left them carrying

with him their hearty congratulations and many good wishes

for his happiness in the deep shades of his far advanced life.

BOMBERGER, George H., was a soldier of the war of

1812, and marched to the defence of Baltimore in 1814. Hewas, in 1822, appointed Deputy Marshal of the Eastern

District of Pennsylvania. In 1823 he was appointed Clerk

of the Orphans' Court. He was for many years one of the

leading conveyancers and scriveners of Lancaster.

His son. Dr. J. H. A. Bomberger, is President of Ursinus

College, Pennsylvania, and a theologian of wide reputation

in the Reformed church. He is also editor of the Reformed

Church Monthly, and the author of several theological works.

BOMBERGER, Johx, was a merchant tailor of Lancas-

ter, and a man of considerable wealth and standing in the

community. He was elected County Commissioner in ISll,

and appointed Recorder in 1839.

*BOMBERGER. The Bomberger family of Lancaster

countj', and in fact mostly all bearing this name in the

United States and Canadas, are descendants of Christian

Bomberger and Maria his wife, who emigrated from Eshel-

brun, Baden, and arrived in this county on the 12th of May,

1722. He took up and settled upon a tract of land in War-

*Contributed by I. F. Bomberger, of Litiz.


wick township, which is now in possession of Christian

Bomberger, Jacob Bomberger, and Levi B. Brubaker. It

contained 548 acres, the patent of which is still preserved,

and bears date May 22nd, 1734.

He had two sons, named John and Christian, and six

daughters. John's descendants were five sons, viz : Michael,

John, Christian, Joseph and Jacob. Of Michael, John and

Joseph, no record can be found. Jacob removed to Dauphin

county, and but one of his descendants, Jacob, who at present

resides in Harrisburg, is known to exist. Christian had

seven sons, viz : Joseph, David, Moses, Peter, Samuel,

Christian and John. Moses, Peter and John, had no children.

Joseph had two sons, one of which, Elias, removed to Vir-

ginia. Samuel and Christian went to Canada; and David

had two sons, viz : Isaac and Christian (Doctor). Theformer had two sons, Cyrus and Isaac, both residing now in

Penn township ; and the latter, who is still living, has two

sons, Isaac F. and Samuel G., all residing in - Warwicktownship.

Christian's descendants were five sons, viz : John, Chris-

tian, Jacob, Joseph and Abraham. Of Christian and Abra-

ham, no record is found. Jacob had no children ; Joseph

had three, Christian, Joseph and John ; and John had seven,

viz : Christian, John, Jacob, Joseph, Abram, Daniel and

Peter. John had two sons. Christian and Jacob, who live

upon the old homestead. Christian's descendants are in

Cumberland county. Jacob left but one descendant, Ilenry,

who resides in Warwick. Peter's descendants are repre-

sented by his grandsons, John B., Elias, Martin E., Christ,

and Abram, of Manheim. Joseph, Abram and Daniel, have

left descendants in different parts of the countj^ ; their exact

lineage cannot be traced.

BOWMAN, n. B., was born at Ephrata, Lancaster co.,

Penna., in the year 1804. He received a good English edu-

cation, graduated in the Pennsylvania Medical College,

Philadelphia, and practiced medicine in the village of Neffs-

ville, Lancaster county, until the autum of 1848, when he

was elected Eecorder of Deeds in and for Lancaster county,

the duties of which office he discharged during his official


term with entire satisfaction. In 1856 he started a woolen

mill at Neffsville. In 1862 he was elected a member of the

Legislature of Pennsylvania, and in 1863 was re-elected,

serving both terms to the satisfaction of his constituents.

Dr. Bowman died July 21st, 1869.

BOWMAN, Joseph, was in 1854 elected Prothonotary of

Lancaster county.

*BOWMAN, Samuel. The subject of this memoir is a

striking instance ef that noblest of all spectacles, a poor

and uninfluential young man, making his way in life and

struggling for intellectual improvement. When men born

to affluence, and aided by all the appliances of the best

academical training, succeed in acquiring knowledge,

become useful in their day and generation, and gain for

themselves position, and succeed in having their names

inscribed on the rolls of fame, we cannot withhold our

admiration and a just tribute of praise. What shall we say

then, when we behold a young man encumbered by all the

impediments that adverse circumstances can interpose, by

his energy and indomitable perseverance overcoming them

all and becoming a conspicuous and shining light, whose

benign influence extends beyond his immediate neighbor-

hood, and lasts long after his earthly career is terminated ?

It has been well s jid, that where there are no examples of

excellence there will be no efforts to attain it. In this

instance we have a spirit who finds an ideal character of

excellence in the fertile resources of his own mind, and faith-

fully and to a considerable degree successfully struggles to

realize this soul-born ideal of perfection. Truly he, in

departing, left behind him— " Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints that perhaps another

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwi-ecked brother

Seeing, shall take heai-t again."'

Our subject was born at Bowman's Mills, in Berks county,

Pennsylvania, on the first day of December, 1789. His father,

Christian Bauman, (as the name originally was written in

*Contributed by J. B. Good, esq.


German), was a Swiss Menuonite, whose ancestors had

emigrated to America on account of the religious persecu-

tions that followed the revocation of the edict of Nantes by

Louis XIV. nis mother was Nancy Huber, of whose rela-

tives a number are still living in this county.

Of his early years little is known except that his mother,

in his childhood, perceived that he was different from the

rest of her children, and, as it is said, in view of the approach

of her death, which occurred when he was still quite young,

was much concerned for him, not knowing whether his

peculiarities indicated mental vigor or imbecility.

As soon as he was sent to school, however, it became evi-

dent that he had a natural fondness for letters, and he soon

made such progress that he far outstripped all his school-

mates.

English schools had no existence in those days in the

neighborhood where young Bowman was born and raised.

In his father's family, and in the Avhole neighborhood for

many miles around, no other language than the Pennsyl-

vania German was in use. He, however, assiduously applied

himself to the study of the English language, and for this

purpose procured the best dictionaries that he could obtain,

and he soon gained considerable proficiency in.the language.

After he had attended the schools in the neighborhood,

and having nearly attained the years of manhood, he

attended a school kept in the neighborhood of Churchtowu,

Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he had the oppor-

tunity of conversing in English, with both teachers and

l)apils.

Here he studied surveying, which he afterwards so exten-

sively and successfully practiced for many years, and in

which he attained, perhaps, to as much skill and habitual

accuracy as any other surveyor in the State or elsewhere.

nis clear head and logical mind were eminently fitted for

practical geometry. His love of justice and equity, and his

high character for honesty and uprightness of purpose, all

combined to make him afterwards the most successful

practical surveyor in the whole neighborhood for manymiles around.

6


About this time his taste for general literature commenced

to develop itself. From the time he had learned to read

he continued to manifest a remarkable love for books and a

taste for the beautiful. It is in regard to this feature of his

character that we have the greatest reason to admire this,

in many respects, extraordinary man. Surrounded by those

who had no literary taste at all ; the ignorant, the illiterate

and the bigoted, he not only acquired a just taste for ele-

gant literature, so that he enjoyed the best productions of

art, and the creations of the beautiful, especially in poetry,

but he also Occasionally composed himself. His style was

very nervous and clear ; his points made with much clear-

ness, force and precision.

In his library were found some of the best classical

authors in the English language, and he never bought books

for playthings or for show, but he used and studied them

till their contents became almost a part of himself.

It was thus that he acquired an almost inexhaustible fund

of illustrative anecdotes; and there was no one \vho knewhow to apply them in conversation more opportunely and

with finer effect than himself

Among other authors he used to read and admire, was

Pope's translation of the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer.

Boswell's life of Dr. Johnson he also enjoyed very much, on

account of the sterling character of the great moralist,

though he heartily despised the sycophantic biographer.

Among the German poets, he especially loved the witty and

sarcastic Langbein, whose lively verses he enjoyed with

exquisite delight. But he had a clear perception of the

excellent and beautiful, and he admired and prized it

wherever he found it in his extensive reading.

In 1815 he was married to Elizabeth Bauman, a distant

relative, an estimable lady, and one who was possessed of

considerable personal attractions. Of this marriage were

born several children, only one of whom (a daughter,

married to Mr. Isaac Sensenig), is living at this time. His

wife survived him a few years.

From 1815 to 1820 he was, during the winter months,

engaged in teaching school. During the rest of his time he


follewed surveying, scrivening, and sometimes ordinary-

labor. He never considered it beneath his dignity to perform,

when necessary, any kind of honorable labor.

In teaching school he exercised a remarkable influence

over his pupils. He acquired a wonderful reputation

among his neighbors, on account of his great knowledge; for

they gazed,

" And still tliey gazed, and still the wonder grew,

That one small head could carry all he knew."

But he was especially famous for his success in keeping good

order and governing his school well. To this day there are

some of his pupils living, who, when talking about the degene-

racy of modern school government, will say: "It was not

thus in Sam Bowman's school."

In 1820 he built the first house in the place, which was

afterwards named after him, " Bowmansville." This place is

situated in the valley of the Muddy Creek, in Brecknock

township, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, about four miles

from Bowman's mill, the place of his birth.

The house he built was arranged for keeping a country

store. Here he commenced the mercantile business imme-

diately after the building was finished. His means were

small, and he had, to a great extent, to begin his career upon

borrowed capital. But such were his industry, economy and

business qualifications, that he soon became a lender instead

of a borrower. His well-known character for honesty and

fair dealing, as well as his pleasing social qualities, attracted

crowds of customers. His store was resorted to far and near;

and it is very remarkable that this man, so difi'erent in his

views, tastes and habits of thought from those by whom he

was surrounded, should yet have maintained their friendship,

confidence and esteem in an unusual degree. This fact alone

proves the high moral qualities of the man, and his unex-

ceptionable deportment towards all those with whom he

came in contact.

In the meantime he also followed the business of a sur-

veyor and conveyancer. He was soon appointed and com-

missioned a justice of the peace, in which office, however,

he did not act, except to take acknowledgments of deeds and

68 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOET

Other legal instruments of writing, of Avliicli he prepared

great numbers.

On the first day of April, which is the general moving and

settlement day in Lancaster county, his store was the place

where the business of the whole neighborhood was trans-

acted, lie had to perform not only the duties of a country

merchant, but also those of a scrivener, banker and legal

adviser. Indeed, his neighbors reposed so much confidence

in him, that he was frequently consulted on general matters

of private business, and his advice was considered so valua-

ble that it was almost invariably followed.

In 1840 a post-ofiice was established at his store, and was

after him named " Bowmansville," and he was appointed post-

master, which position he held for a number of years, and

performed its duties to the general satisfaction of his neigh-

bors.

He never held any other office except the two mentioned,

justice of the peace and postmaster; and yet his influence

was greater than those of many men who have held promi-

nent positions in the gift of the people. lie never could

condescend to wallow in the mire of political scheming and

corruption. His nature was honest and straightforward, and

incapable of the mean actions and petty tricks of professional

politicians.

From what has been said above, it is evident that his life

was one of constant and unremitted labor, both of mind and

body. Being rather corpulent, as he advanced in life his

aversion to active out-door exercise increased, and the con-

sequence was that his physical constitution suffered, and he

was attacked witli paralysis. His mental vigor also gradu-

ally declined, until he was forced to retire from active busi-

ness. The transition from constant activity to the confine-

ment of his room affected him unfavorably. His health con-

tinued to grow worse, until after a short confinement to his

bed he died, January 19thj 1857, at his home in Bowmans-

ville, surrounded by his family, and mourned by a large

numLer of friends and acquaintances.

It is very seldom that the death of a mere private citizen

occasions so great a void in the community as did that of


the subject of tbis sketch. His character was altogether

pure and his morals irreproachable. His word was never

doubted. His advice was doubly valuable, because it came

from one whose wisdom, honesty and integrity of purpose

were undoubted, quite above suspicion. To his unlettered

neighbors his knowledge and general intelligence were mat-

ters of wonder. He stood so much head and shoulders

above them all, that his attainments were by them supposed

to be almost infinite, and his judgment infallible. But he

was admired by others than his illiterate neighbors. Intelli-

gent strangers were often surprised to find a man of his

superior qualities in a locality where they had not supposed

that they should meet with any save the plain and simple.

In his business habits, he was very careful and methodical.

The deeds of conveyance and other instruments of writing-

he prepared, and the drafts of the numerous surveys he

made, all attest the anxious care as well as consummate skill

with which he performed his work. He had a laudable

ambition to be esteemed a correct and competent business

man ; and all who knew him and had business transactions

with him can bear testimony to the ability and honesty with

which his affairs were conducted.

In his intercourse with his neighbors he was remarkably

genial and social. He seemed to forget his superiority when

he came in social contact with those around him, and in

every respect identified himself with them.

As regards his religious views and opinions, it is difficult

to faithfully portray them. The peculiar circumstances

which surrounded him' in his early youth, had undoubtedly

much to do with his religious impressions. The religion of

his parents and relatives was clothed in anything but an

attractive garb. Dry dogmas, narrow, bigoted views, and

unenlightened sectarian zeal, were elements as unattractive

to his mind as could be well conceived. The natural con-

sequence was, that every thing bearing the name and

resemblance of religion, became odious to him. The active

energies of his mind soon raised doubts as to the truth of a

system whose aspect was so uninviting and whose spirit was

so uncongenial to his more refined nature. And, when


parental love and solicitude for his spiritual welfare brought

the strongest arguments they could command to bear upon

him, they were so absurdly conceived or so awkwardly

handled, that his clear head and subtle discrimination could

not help but perceive their weakness and absurdity. The

inevitable consequence unfortunately was, that he took for

granted that these were the strongest arguments that could

be advanced in support of the truth of the Christian system,

and he became—a skeptic. In these doubts he became more

confirmed by reading various authors, such as Yolney and

others ; but such was his modesty and conscientious fear of

injuriously affecting others, that he never opeulj' gave

utterance to his opinions.

These doubts cost him many sleepless nights, and they

followed him more or less from his youth through middle

life ; and it was only after his sun had crossed the meridian

and the lengthening shadows of the evening of life closed

around him, that his mind rested in peace upon the truths of

the gospel as revealed in the Bible, and died in full fiiith

and expectation of a glorious resurrection.

*BOWMAN, Eev. De. Samuel, was born in Wilkesbarre,

in the beautiful Wyoming Valley on the 21st of May, 1800.

Ilis father was an officer in the Eevolutionary war, and

was an active participant in the battle of Lexington. Edu-

cated at an academy in his native place, the law had been

chosen as his profession, but he soon became a student of

divinity, having been brought under deep religious convic-

tion by the sudden death of his father, which resulted from

an accident. lie was ordained in Philadelphia, August 25th,

1823, and entered upon ministerial duty in this county ;in

the same year preaching his first sermons in Leacock and

Salisbury townships, where he remained about two years.

In 1825 he was stationed at Baston, but in the following

year he returned to his former charges in this county. In

1827 he accepted a call to the Eectorship of St. James'

church, in this city, one of the oldest Episcopal parishes in

the State. Of the acceptable manner in -which he more than

discharged the responsible duties of this sacred station, we*From the Lancaster Daily Evening Express.


are not confined in our search for testimony to that of his

own branch of the church ; nor indeed to the circle of pro-

fessing Christians of whatever denomination. Dr. Bowmannot only had the unlimited confidence of the members of his

own congregation, but his friends were legion amongst those of

no church connection. The characteristics which so strongly

attached him to all who knew him, grew with his growth and

> strengthened with his years. His attachment to his parish and

to the community was So deep, that he would never accept any

position which involved the necessity of abandoning Lan-

caster as his home. In 1845 he was, against his own incli-

nations, voted for as the candidate of those in convention

who opposed Eev. Dr. Tyng for bishop, and was several

times elected by the clergy, but the laity refused to concur.

The contest was long and exciting, and Bishop Potter wa.s

finally elected as a compromise candidate, much to Dr.

Bowman's gratification, who would have accepted the oifice

with much reluctance, if at all, for the reason above stated.

In 1848 he was elected bishop of the diocese of Indiana,

which he declined again, reiterating his desire to remain

with the flock between whom and himself there was such a

strong attachment.

With regard to the two parties which unfortunately exist

in the Episcopal church, Bishop Bowman was a conserva-

tive, even to the extent of ignoring the existence of what

are called "High" and "Low Church." It was only on the

Sunday night previous to his death, while walking homewith him from St. John's Free Church, where he preached

his last discourse, that he remarked that unrestrained party

spirit had brought the existing calamity upon our nation,

and that if it were possible to destroy the church of Christ,

party spirit would be the instrumentality through which it

would be accomplished. He regarded party as the besetting

sin of both church and State. This, indeed, had been the

spirit of his earnest discourse, at St. John's, that evening,

based upon the word of St. Paul, addressed to the church at

Corinth—" For I am determined not to know any thing

among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

And this was the spirit in which he accepted the ofiice of

72 BIOGBAPHICAL HISTORY

Assistant Bishop, three years before. The convention failing

to make a choice between Dr. Vinton and himself, Dr. Bow-

man offered a resolution for a committee to report to the

convention a candidate, which he advocated with great

earnestness and ability, solemnly and emphatically with-

drawing his name from the nominations before the conven-

tion. He said God brought men together by ways unknownto them, nis name had been placed there without any feel- ,

ing of ambition on his part, llis great and only desire was,

that he might pass the rest of his days in the humble, yet

honorable, station of the ministry, to which he was so sincerely

attached. He expressed the hope that the carrying out of

this resolution would prove the breaking down of the parti-

tion that existed between some portions of the church, in \

which church all should be of " One Lord, one Faith, and

one Baptism." Let the only strife be, he continued, as to

who shall expend most labor in the cause of God. Let us

no longer array ourselves under party leaders. Let our

only motto be, "Pro Deo, j>ro ecclesia, et hominum salute P'

After the election of Dr. Bowman, he was introduced to

the convention, by a committee, as the Assistant Bishop.

He closed a feeling address with the " fervent hope that the

work which the convention had accomplished that -day

would redound to the unity and advancement of the church,

through Jesus Christ our Lord."

In 1861, on the occasion of his thirtieth anniversary as

Rector of St. James', Dr. Bowman thus alluded to the changes

that thirty years had made in the church and parish :" When

he preached his first sermon in St. James', the Episcopal

church in the United States had but 10 bishops, and 460

ministers ; now it embraces 39 bishops and 1836 ministers.

When he entered the parish of St. James' there were but

50 communicants, only 25 of whom remain, the rest having

fallen asleep. Now there are two hundred communicants.

During the period of his ministerial labors in the parish, he

had solemnized 221 marriages, 6-18 baptisms, and attended

378 funerals; the rite of confirmation was also administered

to 270 persons. About 8 years ago a parochial school was

established, in Avhich from 80 to 100 children have been con-

OF LANCASTER COUNTT. 73

tinually educated without drawing upon the public for aid.

An Orphan Asylum had been established during the same

period, affording a Christian home to many helpless and

unprotected children. And more recently still, a 'Home'

for the aged and infirm, which had already accomplished

great good, and promises still more extended usefulness for

the future." The enlargement of St. James' was referred to;

and more recently, the establishment of a church (St. John's)

on the principle of free seats, which has already been paid

for, and which he hoped had a long career of usefulness

before it. These were charges which do not attract the gaze

and admiration of the world; indeed, it is too often the

destiny of those who labor in any good cause to have little

sympathy from the world, but " God will not forget their

works and labor of love."

The death of Bishop Bowman occurred in this wise. Hehad left home on a tour of western visitation in his official

capacity, and had taken the 6 a. m. train, on the Allegheny

Valley Eailroad, en route for Butler, where he had an ap-

pointment to administer the rite of confirmation on the fol-

lowing Sabbath. At Freeport, 2-1: miles from Pittsburg, he

proposed taking the stage to Butler. After proceeding

about 19 miles, the train was halted in consequence of a

bridge which had been injured by a late freshet, and a land-

slide nearly 2 miles beyond. Arrangements had been made

to convey the passengers over this part of the road in a

hand-car, a locomotive and a passenger car being in readi-

ness on the other side to carry them on. Several gentle-

men preferred walking, and among them Bishop Bowman.

The workmen having charge of the hand-car when return-

ing to the bridge, found the Bishop lying by the road-side,

having fallen upon his face as if seized with apoplexy. His

face was buried in his hat, in which was his pocket handker-

chief, that he had saturated with water in a small stream a

few paces back, doubtless as a prevention against sun

stroke.

BOUDE, Samuel, a member of the Legislature in the

years 1784, 1792 and 1796. He was a leading physician of

Lancaster.

7


'BOUDE, TnoMAs, son of Samuel Boude, was a native

of Lancaster county. He served, with distinction, as a cap-

tain during the revolutionary war, at the close of which he

received the brevet commission of Major. He was a mem-ber of the Society of the Cincinnati. He lived at Columbia,

and was engaged in the lumber business for many years,

and was an active and energetic business man. He was a

prominent politician of the Federal party, and was elected a

member of the Legislature in the years 1794, 1795 and

1796. He also represented Lancaster county in the National

Congress from 1801 till 1803. He died October 2-±th, 1822,

in the 70th year of his age.

BOYD, S. "W. P. was elected Sheriff of Lancaster county in

1860. His maternal grandfather, James Porter, was one of

the early settlers of Lancaster county. Nicholas Boyd, his

father, died December 22nd, 1810, aged 66 years.

BOYER, Joseph, was elected County Commissioner in

1858.

BEADY, John", was elected Eecorder of Lancaster county

in the year 1851.

BRANDT, Daniel, was elected one of the County Com-missioners in 1855.

BRECKBILL, Bexjamix, was elected County Commis-

sioner in 18-41.

BRECKBILL, John, was a citizen of Strasburg town-

ship, and was a member of the Legislature for the years

1790, 1791, and 1792. He was also a delegate to the con-

vention which amended the Constitution of Pennsylvania in

1789.

BRECKBILL, Ulrich, an early settler of Lancaster

county, and one of the compeers of Hans Herr and his com-

panions. He Avas a minister of the Mennonite faith. He was

accidentally killed October 19th, 1739, while driving his

'Thomas Boude bought the wealthy Stephen Smith (colored), of Phila-

delphia, when a boy of eight years of age, from the Coohraus, of Dau-

phin county. He I'aised him, and after he married, Jlr. Boude gave

him his freedom and fui'uished him means with which to go iuto busi-

ness, and thus laid for him the foundation of his fortune.


team on the Philadelphia road. His descendants in Lancas-

ter are quite numerous.

BEENEMAN, Christian, a member of the Legislature

in 1814.

BRINTON, Fereee, was elected Assistant Judge of Lan-

"caster county, in 1856. He was re-elected in 1861, and

served two terms with great satisfaction to his constituents.

As a judge he was very upright and conscientious, and dis-

chaTged his duties with great ci^dit. A writer in the Daily

Evening Express said of Judge Brinton, that he " was a gen-

tleman in his manners and habits, and was the most intel-

lectual looking non law-judge that I ever saw on any bench,

and he had more mind and information than any non law-

judge I ever knew but one."

BRISBIN, Wm., a member of the Legislature in the

years 1802, 1803 and 180^.

''BROOKS, Prof. Edward. It is yet too soon to write a

biography that shall do justice to Professor Edward Brooks,

for he is yet a young man, and has not reached the meridian

of his powers. Though he has already achieved much—more than enough to satisfy the ambition of most scholars

and thinkers—what he has done must be accepted, not as

the measure of his usefulness, but merely as a promise of

what he is yet to do. And yet, in a life so abundant in fruit

and so rich in promise, though it has numbered scarcely

more than half the years allotted to man, there must be

something worthy of being recorded for our interest and

instruction. But in attempting to write the biography of a

man of thought, this difficulty meets us at the threshold

—

a lack of stirring events and striking incidents calculated to

awaken and keep alive the interest of the readers. His life

may have been one of incessant activity, and may have

achieved " victories no less renowned than war ;" but his

activity has not been that of the fornm or the field, nor can

his victories be estimated by the number of guns captured

and enemies slain. His campaigns have been carried on in

the class-room and the study; his battles have been fought

*Coutributecl by Prof. J. WUlis Westlake.


and won, not with cannon balls and bombshells, but with

arguments and ideas. Hence the biographies of writers

and scholars are rarely popular, being mainly confined to

the " audience fit though few " of those who are engaged in

similar purs aits. This is to be regretted, for the temple of

a good man's character is his greatest work ; it is the

preacher's most effective sermon, the teacher's most useful

lesson. How many poor boys have learned the lesson of

self-reliance from the life of Franklin, and of truthfulness

from that of Washington ! And if all the facts connected

with the life of the subject of this sketch could be placed

prominently before all the youth of our country, they

would do more good than all that he has said and written.

Edward Brooks was born at Stony Point, on the Hudson,

January 16th, 1831; and in this picturesque place, rendered

forever memorable by one of the daring exploits of " MadAnthony Wayne," he passed the first fifteen years of his

life. It is impossible to measure the effect of early influ-

ences, but there can be no doubt that the romantic beauty of

the scenery with which hcTvas surrounded in his childhood,

operating upon a highly sensitive and finely organized mind,

powerfully contributed to the formation and development of

that fine poetic taste, that ardent love of the beautiful, for

which he is distinguished, and which adds such a charm to

his literary jDroductions.

The means of education aflbrded him during these years

were very limited, being merely those furnished by the pub-

lic schools of the neighborhood;

biit these he improved to

the utmost, surpassing all the other members of the school,

so that when, in 1846, he went with his parents to reside in

Sullivan county, ISTew York, he already possessed a very good

elementary education, particularly excelling in mathematics

and literatiu'e. The region in which he now lived, being a

wild and sparsely populated one, had no public school for

him to attend, aud as circumstances did not permit his going

to an academy he applied himself with his accustomed en-

ergy to the learning of a trade, an undertaking which he

speedily and thoroughly accomplished. But while manual

pursuits thus claimed his attention, they by no means


monopolized it, nor could they repress liis soaring aspira-

tions. Though fully recognizing the dignity of honest labor,

yet he felt that there was for him a higher plane of useful-

ness than that of the mechanic, and he spared no effort to

improve his talents and add to his acquirements. He read

and studied incesantly, making for himself a school-room of

field and forest, of shop and fireside, of every place to which

duty or pleasure called him. Thus he not only obtained a

mastery of the branches he had begun in the public schools,

but pushed on to higher attainments; while he also improved

his taste and formed his style by making himself acquainted

with music and with the standard English authors. Hewrote with considerable facility both prose and verse; and it

may be worth while to mention here, that his first published

production was a little poem written at the age of fourteen,

and which, being too bashful to hand it to the printer, he

pushed under the printing ofB.ce door. In common with

most successful literary men, he early formed a habit which

cannot be too highly recommended to young readers—that

of reading with pencil in hand, and of noting down for future

use the most important facts recorded and thoughts ex-

pressed or suggested by the author.

"As a pebble in the streamlet scant

Has turned the course of many a river :

As a dew-drop on the Infant plant

Has warped the giant oak forever"

—

so an apparently trifling occurrence sometimes decides a

man's destiny. It was one of these momentous trifles that

turned his mind about this time in the direction of arith-

metical analysis, and thus gave him, to use his own words,

" the golden key that unlocks the various complex combina-

tions of numbers." The qualities of his mind were such that

he would in any case have become eminent in something

—perhaps in natural science, perhaps in music, perhaps in

poetry and general literature—but he would not probably

have become the distinguished mathematician that he is, had

he not received this mental impulse. This was nothing-

more nor less than the perusal of Colburn's Mental Arith-

metic—a little book which revolutionized the study of the


science of numbers in this country, and powerfully con-

tributed to the breaking up of the dull routine work of the

school-room, and the substitution of more rational and

normal methods of instruction. At the same time a power-

ful coordinate influence was exerted by the little treatise,

once so popular, entitled " Watts on the Mind." This he

read with the greatest interest, and from it were derived

those seed-truths of mental science which, taking root in the

fertile soil of his intellect, have developed into the ripened

grain of knowledge and brought forth a rich harvest of

thought.

His career as teacher had a very humble beginning ; his

first school being a singing-class, his first sdhool-house a

barn. Subsequently, when about eighteen years of age, he

taught a school in the village of Cuddebackville, N. Y.,

with excellent success, at a salary, at first, of eighteen dol-

lars a month and board. Here, for the first quarter, he had

an experience—sometimes pleasant, often ludicrous, but

always inconvenient—of the " peripatetic " old fashion of

" boarding 'round." Having an agreeable tenor voice and

a pretty good knowledge of music, he introduced singing

into his school, and this greatly enhanced his success and

popularity as a teacher. At the end of the second quarter,

on account of the ill health of his father, he gave up his

school and went home. Here he remained a year, and then

left to attend the Liberty Normal Institute, under the charge

of Mr. Henry Stoddard (brother of Prof. J. F. Stoddard), to

fit himself more fally for the work" of teaching. In this

institution he greatly distinguished himself, both by his

scholarship and social qualities, and at the close of the

session was awarded the honor of the valedictory. Andthus closed his brief career as a pupil. Thenceforward,

though still a learner, a faithful and laborious student of the

writings of the wise and good of all ages, and especially of

the dual works of God, in nature and Eevelation—he

devoted himself with all his energy to the work of teaching.

We have dwelt at some length on the earlier aild prepara-

tory portion of Prof. Brooks's life, for the encouragement of

the young into whose hands this book may fall ; to show


what may be accomplislied by industry and energy, in sjDite

of adverse circumstances, witliout the help, however valua-

ble, of academies and colleges, and independent of all the

advantages that wealth and station can bestow. It thus

appears that he is mainly self-educated ; and this, coupled

with the fact that he is thoroughly ' well-educated, is some-

thing of which he has abundant cause to be proud. Learn-

ing that is, as it were, thrust on one by rich and indulgent

friends, is not half so much valued, generally not half so

valuable, as that which is wrung from the reluctant hand

of adverse fate—sought for, sweat for, struggled for.

The subsequent events in Prof Brooks's life we shall pass

over as rapidly as possible, in order to discuss, as fully as

space will allow, the qualities of mind and heart that

have rendered him so eminent.

On the completion of his course at the Institute mentioned

above, he taught for three years in a school of which Prof.

John F. Stoddard was principal, at Bethany, "Wayne county,

Pennsylvania. Probably the most important, as it certainly

was the most interesting event of these three years, was the

formation of an intimate acquiantance with the pianist of

the institution, Miss Marie Dean, of North Stamford, Con-

necticut, who subsequently became his "true and honorable

wife," and who has thus far rendered his life as happy in his

private, as it has been useful in his public relations. Henext taught for a year in the academy at Monticello, N. Y.,

and then, in 1855, accepted a professorship in the Normal

School at Millersville, Lancaster county. Pa., where he has

ever since labored with distinguished success, and acquired

an influence as an educator second to none in the State.

In 1858 the trustees of Union College conferred upon him

the well-merited degree of Master of Arts.. In 1866, on the

resignation of Prof. J. P. Wickersham, he was elected

Principal of the institution which he had so powerfully

contributed to build up ;and in this position he has shown

administrative abilities of a high order, combined with

broad and comprehensive views of the work of public edu-

cation and the adaptation of the normal schools to that work.

Here, amid his labors as a teacher, he has composed the


works that have given him a prominent place among Amer-

ican educational authors. They are, in fact, an outgrowth

of those labors ; being a successful attempt to present on

paper the philosophical methods of instruction employed

by him in the class-room with such excellent results.

Prof. Brooks is known to the public at large chiefly as a

mathematician ; but his reputation does not in this respect

do him justice. To his friends he is known to be equally

thorough and original in other departments of knowledge.

He is no less a metaphysician than a mathematician ; and it

may safely be predicted that, if he lives to carry out his de-

signs, he will yet give to the world works which, if not more

useful, will contribute far more to the permanence and ex-

tension of his fame than anything he has yet published.

Published Works.—The works published by him to the

present time (May, 1873), are the following :

1. An Arithmetical Series, consisting of six books; a

Primary, an Elementary, a Mental and a Written Arithmetic,

together with two " Keys," each containing many valuable

exercises and suggestions, besides the solutions to the

problems.

2. Geometry and Trigonometry.

3. Elementary Algebra—his latest publication.

The works named above, though unpretending and appar-

ently unimportant, are the result of much thought and labor.

They are not mere compilations, as are many text-books at

the present day, but bear on every page the stamp of origi-

nality ; a statement that is abundantly attested by the fact

that other authors have extensively copied from them in the

revision of existing works on the same subjects, or in the

composition of new ones. In a subsequent part of this

sketch a few of their peculiar excellences will be briefly

pointed out. The influence that these books exert is incal-

culable, as they are used very extensively in Pennsylvania

and several other States, and are moulding the minds and

directing the thinking of hundreds of thousands of children.

Projected Works.—Prof Brooks contemplates the publi-

cation, at no distant day, of several other Works, some of

which are already composed, and require only revision and


arrangement to fit them for the printer. The list will

embrace, among others, the following:

1. Philosophy of Arithmetic.

2. Methods of Teaching Arithmetic.

3. A series of works on the Science of Education.

i. Educational Addresses.

5. The higher works required to complete his series of

mathematical text-books.

Several of his addresses have already been published, and

some of them, particularly the one entitled " The Spiritual

Element in Education," have been greatly admired, both on

account of their freshness and vigor of thought, and the

beauty and elegance of their style.

Professional and Literary Characteristics.—Prof.

Brooks's public life presents itself to us in three aspects : 1.

Asa teacher; 2. As a lecturer; 3. As an author; and we pro-

jiose to examine briefly his characteristics in each of these

particulars, and discover, if possible, the secret of his re-

markable success.

As a Teacher: Of Prof. Brooks's wonderful success as a

teacher, not only in imparting knowledge, but in giving

power, the thousands of active and intelligent young menand women who have enjoyed the benefit of his instructions,

are glad and grateful witnesses. This success is due to

several causes, of which the three following seem to us the

most prominent:

1. A perfect familiarity with whatever subject he attempts

to teach, rendering him to a great extent independent of the

text-book, and, indeed, superior to it. Thus his mind re-

sembles not a mere reservoir, but a living fountain, from

which streams of knowledge issue forth with all the freshness

and sparkle of originality.

2. Natural and philosophical methods of instruction. lie

is as thoroughly Pestalozzian as Pestalozzi himself, and as

analytic as Colburn ; and j'et he can be deductive as well as

inductive, synthetic as well as analytic. He has the clear

insight that enables him to perfectly adapt his method to

the circumstances of each case. He does not drive pupils,

but leads them. He does not do away with the necessity of


study and thought, but he makes study attractive, and

teaches how to think. He does not remove difficulties from

the learner's path, but shows how to surmouut them. Thus

the student, as he ascends the rugged " hill of science," is

forever tempted on by new beauties unfolding before

him ; like a traveler "who, unmindful of the toil, climbs

some moss-grown precipice to pluck a rare and beautiful

flower that he sees smiling down upon him from its moun-

tain home.

3. The possession, in a remarkable degree, of what maybe called inspirational jôwer, by which he is enabled to

enkindle the enthusiasm of his pupils, and invest the dryest

subject with living interest. Part of this effect is doubtless

due to the fact that he is himself interested, both in the sub-

ject and in the class ; but much of it is due to what, for

want of a better name, we may call personal magnetism. Henot only interests his pupils in the subject, bat in himself

personally, so that every one becomes a warm and life-long

friend. Thus he is enabled to influence their moral natures,

as well as their intellectual, and to awaken in them those

emotions, and instil those sentiments that tend to build up

a noble character and render knowledge a blessing to its

possessor and to society.

As a Lecturer: The same qualities that make Prof

Brooks a successful teacher, make him also a popular

lecturer. As an instructor at teachers' institutes he is un-

surpassed—never failing to interest his audience and to give

them practical and valuable ideas. An apparently dry sub-

ject like geometry, he can present so simply as to make it

comprehensible bj' a child, and at the same time he can

clothe it with all the beauty and attractiveness of romance.

Should the interest flag for a moment, he is ever ready to

revive it by a pertinent anecdote or a witty remark. Manyspeakers will make an interesting lecture from which you

can get no definite result—nothing but a general impression;

but Prof Brooks gives such a clear outlifie of his subject,

and states his points so strongly, as to enable the hearer not

only to apprehend but to retain what he says. His ascend-

ing the platform is always a signal for the sharpening of

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 8d

pencils and opening of note-books ; for all are sure that they

will hear something worthy of record.

As an Author: Since a person's oral instructions and

writings are merely different manifestations of the same mind,

it is impossible to describe his characteristics as a teacher

without at the same time indicating in a measure his charac-

teristics as a writer. Hence, some of the causes of Prof.

Brooks's popularity and usefulness in the latter capacity, maybe inferred from what we have already said concerning his

labors ia the class-joom and on the platform. Nevertheless,

at the risk of some repetition, we shall endeavor to state

what appears to us to be the most important of these causes.

They are three in number :

1. An abundance of information—partly the fruit of his

own fertile and original mind, partly the result of patient

and extensive research. He always has something new and

striking to say on every subject of which he treats.

2. A logical arrangement of materials, based on a thorough

acquaintance both with the subjects themselves and with the

laws by which the mind acts in coming to a knowledge of

them. Having a clear perception of the uses and limitations

both of the inductive and the deductive methods of teaching,

he is able to employ both, as occasion demands, without

abusing either-—always having reference both to the nature

of the subject and the degree of advancement of the learner.

3. A style which in scientific statement or discussion is

clear, logical, and direct—the natural result of clear think-

ing; but which, when the nature of the subject allows,

abounds in illustration and imagery—the effect of an active

imagination and fine poetic feeling.

As shown above. Prof. Brooks's fame as an author chiefly

rests upon his mathematical text-books. It would be both

interesting and profitable to subject these to a critical exami-

nation, and to call attention to the many valuable additions

they have made to our stock of scientific knowledge ; but for

this work we have neither the requisite time nor ability.

We shall attempt nothing more than to state in general

terms a few of the features that establish their claim to

originality, and make them superior to all books that pro-


ceded them in the same field. Among these are: 1. Many-

improvements in old definitions, and several new ones ; 2.

Several new classes of problems; 3. Many new solutions of

old problems; 4. A simplification of the reasoning in arith-

metic, and a reduction of what was awkward and illogical to

a simple, logical, and scientific method ; 5. Several new gen-

eralizations and classifications, such as the relations of frac-

tions, " composition'" as a process correlative with factoring,

the classification of algebraic symbols, etc. The algebra is

a model of simplicity, conciseness, elegance, and logical

accuracy; and the geometry is one of the most strikingly

original works on the subject ever published in this countr^^

In the latter, by a variation and simplification of the theorems

and demonstrations, the subject is presented in about half

the space usually devoted to it, without in the least impairing

the chain of logic.

One of Prof. Brooks's happiest and most original ideas, is

that presented in his " Philosophy of Arithmetic "—one of

his unpublished works.' He therein develops the science of

numbers from- three fundamental processes—synthesis,

analysis, and comparison—thereby showing the error of

those who have held that the whole science of arithmetic is

contained in addition and subtraction; and also the mistake

of such logicians as Mansel, who claim that there is no

reasoning in joure arithmetic.

His miscellaneous productions, consisting of poems,

essays, and addresses on various subjects, though well

worthy of being put in book form, are scattered here and

there in newspapers and pamphlets, or hidden away in

neglected piles of manuscript. As shown above, he pos-

sesses invention, fancy, taste, a musical ear, power of ex-

pression—all the es.sential elements of a poet ; and at various

times he has sought recreation—nothing more—in poetical

composition. Perhaps his greatest hindrance to success in

this direction, is the consciousness that he is a teacher, the

tendency to be didactic. If he would, for once, sink the

'Portions of this -work were published in the Fennsyloarda School

Journal in 1861 ; also in the Mathematical Monthly (since discontinued),

for JIareh of the same year.


pedagogue in the poet, and devote himself to a work of pure

imagination, he would iindoubtedly produce poetry worthy

of his superior geuiiis.

His little poem of five stanzas, entitled " Be a Woman,''

published anonymously in 1857, has obtained considerable

popularity both in this country and England. It has been

printed in thousands of periodicals, and read by hundreds

of thousands of people. We quote the last stanza :'

" Be a woman ! on to duty !

Kaise the world from all that's low;

Place high in the social heaven

Virtue's fair and radiant bow;

Lend thy influence to each effort

That shall raise our nature human;

I3e not fashion's gilded lady,

Be a brave, whole-souled, true woman."

We cannot stop to examine his other miscellaneous writ-

ings, having already greatly exceeded the limits prescribed for

this sketch. They shall presently be allowed to speak for

themselves, as fully as they can do so in a few brief speci-

mens. But first let us see what conclusion we have arrived at.

The author's characteristics, as exhibited particularly in

his .mathematical books—the only ones yet published

—

have already been given. A wider survey enables us to

give the following as a summary of his qualities of mind

and heart : A refined taste;an active imagination

;great

logical acuteness, enabling him to detect the truth or falsity

of a proposition at a glance, and deduce results with ease

and certainty ; a profound and pervading sense of moral

obligation; and a style which, despite a tendency to indulge

too nmch in epigrammatic and antithetical forms of expression

and an excess of rhetorical ornament, is clear, pure, strong,

and eminently pleasing and attractive.

The following extracts, culled almost at random, will

show his peculiarities of thought and expression much bet-

ter than any words of ours can do it ; and we are sure that

they will abundantly sustain the literary judgment pro-

nounced above

:

'For the whole poem and its history, [see Peniisyloania School Journal

for August, 1871, quoted from the Lancaster Express.


"It is better to inspire the heart with a noble sentiment tlian to teacli

the mind a trutli of science.''

"I would rather live in the memory of grateful pupils than be

honored in song or story."

"The problem of life is filled with known and unknown quantities

which, when compared, give an equation whose roots are determined

only in eternity.'

'

" The festhetic nature is higher than the scientific; art, therefore, it

would seem, should be placed above science. Science is the product of

mere intellect ; art involves and embodies both thought and feeling.

To write a poem, therefore, is better than to solve a problem ; a great

poet has a brighter fame than a great philosopher. I would rather be

gentle AViU Shakespeare, the author of Hamlet, than Sir Isaac Newton,

the author of the Principia. Hamlet will be en.shrined in the heart of

mankind long after the Principia has ceased to be read or printed. " -

!Music aids in the work [aesthetic culture] with its melodious voice. Aschool song in the heart of a child will do as much for its character as a

fact in its memory, or a principle in its intellect. The cradle song that

fell from amother's lips becomes a sacred memory that inspires the life."

" Spiritual culture demands the training of the moral nature. Themoral nature embraces the activity of our entire spiritual being. It

consists in the apprehension of the right, in the feeling of obligation to

do the right, and the consequent act of the will to carry out the spiritual

imperative. The aesthetic nature is idea and feeling; the moiTil nature

is idea, feeling, and volition. In mathematical phraseology, the lesthetic

nature equals the Eeason plus the Sensibilities ; the ethical nature

equahs the Reason plus the Sensibilities plus the Will.

"

"The culture of these three powers—Faith, Love, and Obedience— iji

their relation to God, is religious culture. Faith in God, love to God,

and obedience to God, is religion. The relation is simple and logical.

Faith leads to love ; we must believe before we can love. Love leads to

obedience ; that obedience is the most willing and perfect which flows

from affection. Faith, then, is the soil in which grows the tree of Love,

and Obedience is the ripened fniit. Let us plant the tree of Love in the

soil of Faith in God, and it will reward us with the golden fruit of per-

fect Obedience."''

" Life is a product of three factors—nature, self, and destiny jjbutthe

central and controling influence is self, the imperial power of the free

spirit.

' We shape ourselve.s, the joys or fears

Of which the coming years are made.'

All true success in life is organic, and follows the law of organic de-

velopment. Analyze any great character or achievement, and you will

find an idea at the centre—an idea which determined its growth, andgave direction to its development. This is the universal law. The

' It will be observed that the author comprehends all religious duties in these three-Faith, Love, Obedienco: a generallaation which is philosophical, and, so far as we know,original.


ideal is the germ of the real. Development, everywhere throughout

God's universe, is the unfolding of a purpose. The acorn slumbering

in the soil through the gloom of winter, contains the plan of an oak, and

in the spring-time begins to develop the tree which shall live for a cen-

tury. The little plant, starting in the dark ground, travels all the wayup from a seed, with an idea in its head, xinfoldiiig it at the top into

blossom and fruit."

' Beauty, purity, and generosity may appear in the external act,

whilst the motive prompting it may be mean, ignoble, and selfish.

Truth, purity, and all the noble traits of character, may be enshrined

within the soul, and the life be so unobtrusive that they may not mani-

fest themselves to the public gaze. When asked why Antipater was

not dressed in purple, Alexander replied :' These men wear purple on

the outside, but Antiijater is royal within.' Character is being royal

within. It is a soul throbbing with generous feelings, with noble im-

pulses, a soul loyal to the claims of truth and virtue.

" Man must labor for his best achievements. The duty of industry

rests upon us as a responsibility from Heaven. The God who made us

is a ceaseless energy, a tireless activity, infinite in His doing as in His

being. There is no such thing as indolence in His wide universe. Themost peaceful place of the summer landscape is but a veil that covers the

incessant and tireless activities of leaf, and root, and sunshine, and dew.

And all this activity is not for the end of action. Kature aims at results;

she energizes for products. The dew-drojis of the summer night are the

tree-builders of the summer day ; and the sunshine of spring pours its

golden rays into the green leaf, that it may blush in the rose's jietal, or

glow in the summer harvest. '

'

The heart prompts us, and truth and justice compel us, in

closing this imperfect sketch, to say that Prof. Brooks him-

self, measured as God measures a man, by l)is soul, his

character, is better and greater than any of his works. For-

tunate in having hai the benefit, in his childhood, of the

counsels and prayers of a wise father and a remarkably gen-

tle and intelligent mother, he has never departed from his

early lessons of morality and religion. His sensibilities are

tender as a child's and strong as a man's; but the will com-

mands the feelings, and duty dominates the will. Having

perfect command of himself, he is therefore qualiiied to com-

mand others;yet the rod of authority was never wielded by

a gentler hand. Naturally of a quick temper, he seldom

manifests anger; fond of ease and pleasure, he yet labors to

the full extent of physical endurance. Eapid in all his mo-

tions, mental and physical, he is never rash. Amid all his

multiplicity of duties—administrative and educational, public

88 BIOGBAPHICAL HISTOST

and private—there is no confusion, nothing hap-hazard.

Method is as prominent in his business as his books. His

power of mental concentration is prodigious, but it is fully

equaled by his persistence and energy. This is the great

secret of his success; this is the golden key that has un-

locked for him the temples of Fortune and of Fame.

BEOWN, Jeremiah, sr., a member of the Legislature in

the years 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799 and 1800.

BROWN, Jeremiah, jr., was born in the year 1776. lie

was elected to the Legislature in 1826. lie represented

Lancaster county in Congress from 1841 to 1815. He was

the first Associate Judge elected by the people, in 1851.

BROWN, William, a member of the Legislature for the

years 1776, 1778, 1779, 1781, 1782 and 1783.

*BRUBAKER Family. John Brubaker emigrated to

this country, from Switzerland, in the year 1710, and settled

on the Little Conestoga, about two miles west of the city of

Lancaster, where Mr. Samuel Binkley's mill is now located;

here Mr. Brubaker built the first grist mill in Lancaster

county. He had a large family, consisting of nine sons, viz :

John, Daniel, Peter, Abraham, David, Christian, Henry and

Jacob. Two of these sons, John and Daniel, settled in

Elizabeth township, near Hammer Creek; they married

sisters, daughters of Michael Tauner. Peter settled in

Rapho township. Abraham settled in Virginia. The rest

remained in their father's neighborhood. The above-named

John, jr., took the farm owned at the present time by one

of his lineal descendants, Jacob E. Brubaker. He, however,

before settling, paid a visit to Germany in the year 1750,

where he married Maria Newcomer, and returned with his

wife and cousin to America. His wife only lived thirty

weeks, when she died. He then married his second wife, the

above Miss Tauner, and had a family of eleven children. I

shall speak only of John, the oldest, he being Ay direct

ancestor. He was born A. D. 1752, was married to AnnaEby, and had a family of four children, vizj Two sons and

two daughters ; Anna, born 1753, Maria, born 1756. The

•^Contributed by M. N. Brabaker.

OF LANCASTEE COUNTY. 89

last mentioned was married to 'John Bear, from -whom Mr.

Gabriel Bear, at Mount Joy, has descended. I shall speak

more fully of this family hereafter. The son, Jacob Bru-

baker, who was my great grandfather, was born A. D. 1758.

He married Miss Susanna Erb, in 1781, and raised a family

of seven children. He died of yellow fever, in 1793, con-

tracted while in Philadelphia, ke being engaged in hauling

his grain and flour to that place during the prevalence of

that disease there. His young widow devoted her time and

energies nobly to her family. Previous to this time some

members of the " Old Mennonite " church settled in Canada

;

they had purchased a very large tract of land. After awhile

they found there was a mortgage on it of §30,000, which

would be foreclosed ; they became alarmed and sent a com-

mittee to Lancaster county to solicit aid from their brethren

;

after some labor they succeeded in raising the amount ; this

young widow contributed a large sum towards it. The

committee started back to Canada, through the wilderness,

with this money in gold and silver in their saddle-bags,

on their horses; they reached home safe and cancelled the

mortgage. These events transpired about the beginning

of the present century. Those men had nothing to give

for security but their word and honor, which they faith-

fully fulfilled. They surveyed the tract, 60,000 acres,

divided it into lots of from 500 to 1,000 acres, and sold

tickets to the parties who loaned them the money, held a

regular lottery, and so this widow drew a large tract of land,

in lieu of her claim against the committee. She traveled

out, on horseback, to see her land. In the year 1816 she

sent her youngest son, John, out to take charge of this land;

he married there and raised a numerous family, who still pos-

sess some of the land, which has become very valuable. Thewidow, Susanna Brubaker, lived 51 years in widowhood, and

died in 181:4, at an advanced age. This old lady traveled to

Canada twice on horseback ; one day, while leading her

horse across the mountains, she came upon a large rattle-

'Jolin Bear, spoken of before, was married to Miss Maria Brubaker,

A. D. 1756, and these had a family of nine children, of whom 8amuel wasmarried to Miss Weaver. They had a family of eight children, of whom<3abriel was the oldest son, who resides in Mt. Joy at the present time.

9


snake, whicli was lying across her path ; she aimed a blow at

it with her walking-stick and killed it. Her oldest son,

Jacob Brubaker, who was my grandfather, was born in 1782,

and was married to Miss Maria Eby. They started out in

life on the farm first spoken of; they had a family of nine

children, of which Sem, the oldest son, is my father, whoresides near Mount Joy at the present time. Jacob, the

youngest son, occupies the old mansion farm at the present

time, which has been handed down from generation to

generation for a period 160 years. The Brubakers in this

county and Canada have all descended from the same stock.

BEUBAKER, Geobge, was born April 24th, 1817, in

Leacock township, Lancaster county. On his father's side

he is of German descent, and of Scotch-Irish on that of his

mother. His early educational advantages were very limited,

the time of his pupilage in the common schools not having

exceeded eighteen months. At an early age he began teach-

ing school, and pursued this calling for nine consecutive

sessions, running through a period of the same number of

years. He was one of the first teachers in the county under

the free school system, of which he was one of the earliest

and warmest advocates.

In 1848 he was nominated and elected to the position of

Eegister of Wills of Lancaster county, by the Whig party,

and for the term of three years faithfully discharged the

duties of this office. In 1851 he commenced the study of law,

and in the year 1854 was admitted to the bar as a practising

attorney, which profession he has since followed with a very

considerable degree of success.

In 1868 he was nominated and elected to the office of

District Attorney by the Republican party. For four years

he held the office of Select Councilman in Lancaster city,

and was a prominent mover in the division of the city of

Lancaster into nine wards.

George Brubaker, as a business man, is keen and sagacious,

and as a citizen, kind, liberal and public spirited.

BRUSH, George Gamble, was born in Oxford township,

Chester county, Pennsylvania, on the 10th of August, 1793.

He was apprenticed in 1809 to William Hensel, of Lancaster

OF LANCASTEE COUXTT. 91

city, to learn the carpenter business, and served four and a

half years in his employ. In ISl-i he removed to Manortownship, Lancaster county, to a small village on the Sus-

quehanna river, which had sprung up during the war of

1812-14:. In this village he worked at his trade until 1820,

when he began the mercantile business. About this time a

post-office was established in Manor township, and he wasappointed Postmaster by President Monroe, and held this

position under the administrations of Monroe, Adams, Jack-

son and Van Buren. In 1827 the borough of Washington

was incorporated, and Mr. Brush was elected a member of

the first Town Council. On the adoption of the CommonSchool System by Manor township, he was elected a school

director for three successive terms. In 1841, having been

elected a justice of the paace, he resigned the Postmastership.

In 1846 he removed to a small farm in Manor township,

where he has since continued to reside. In the fall of 185.5

he was elected a member of the State Legislature, and served

as such during the session of 18.56. On the chartering of the

Lancaster County Bank, in 1841, he was elected a memberof the first Board of Directors, and has served in that capacity

up to the present time.

BUCHANAN, James, 15th President of the United States,

was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, April 23, 1791.

The place of his birth is situated about three miles from the

village of Mercersburg, and in the midst of a wild and ro-

mantic mountain gorge, which, with its beautiful scenery,

may have served to arouse in his youthful mind, sentiments

of lofty aspirations and fervent patriotism. His father,

James Buchanan, was a native of the county of Donegal,

Ireland, and was one of the early settlers of Franklin county,

having emigrated thither in the year 1783. His mother,

Elizabeth Speer, was the daughter of a respectable farmer

of Adams county, Pennsylvania. His father was a man of

great enterprise and industry, and speedily rose from the

condition of an humble emigrant to one of independence

and prominence in the community. The mother of Mr.

Buchanan was a woman of remarkable native intellect, and

although not possessed of more than an ordinary English


education, yet she was distinguished for her masculine sense

and rare literary taste. The most striking passages in Pope,

Cowper, Milton and Shakespeare, she could repeat from

memory.

In 1798 the father of Mr. Buchanan removed with his

family to Mercersburg, and there the subject of our notice

received his first lessons in Greek and Latin. His more

than ordinary rapid progress in his studies, indicated to his

preceptors a mind of rare strength and vigor ; and his father,

accepting the suggestions of his teachers, determined to

afford him the advantages of a collegiate education. At the

age of fourteen, accordingly, he entered Dickinson College,

at Carlisle, then a Presbyterian institution, under the presi-

dency of Dr. Davidson. Here he at once took rank amongst

the most indefatigable students, and rapidly rose in the esti-

mation of his teachers as a young man of mark and great

promise. In the studies of his classes he outstripped all his

'

mates, and on no occasion was he found unprepared in his

recitations. Whilst always prepared with his lessons, he was

by no means what is known as a close student, but rather

ranked with those who indulged most freely in sport and

relaxation. His college tasks were no burden to him, being

acquired as if by intuition; and his vigorous mind displayed

itself in every department. He enjoyed all the honors of the

literary society with which he was connected, and was pre-

sented by its unanimous vote to the faculty for the highest

collegiate honors. He graduated in 1809, at the age of

eighteen.

In December of the same year, he commenced the study

of law in the of&ce of James Hopkins, Esq., of Lancaster,

then recognized as the leading lawyer of that bar. He was

admitted to the practice of the profession, November 17th,

1812, when but little over twenty-one years of age. Fromthe day of his admission a tide of success seemed to meet

him ; and until he retired from the profession his was a series

of successive triumphs. There, perhaps, was never an

instance of such a rapid rise in the legal profession as that

afforded in his case. "When a lawyer of four years' standing,

he was selected to conduct, unaided by senior counsel, the


defense of a distinguished judge, who was tried on articles

of impeachment before the Senate of Pennsylvania. His

defense on this occasion was a masterly display of legal

acumen and forensic ability that at once gave him a State-

wide reputation, and ranked him as an intellect fit to cope

with the ablest men of the nation. His reputation was

fixed in that trial, and business poured in upon him with an

increasing flood. So successful was he in his legal business,

that by the time he was forty years of age, he had acquired

a sufBcient independence that enabled him to retire from the

profession. During the tide of his practice his name occurs

oftener in the Reports of the State than that of any other

lawyer of his time.

Mr. Buchanan early displayed his patriotism and love of

country. During the progress of the war between Great

Britain and America, in 1812-14, the British had taken and

destroyed the public buildings at Washington. This act

aroused a feeling of indignation throughout the whole United

States. A public meeting was held at Lancaster in favor of

a vigorous prosecution of the war, which was addressed byMr. Buchanan, and he was the first to enroll his name as a

private soldier in a company raised upon the spot, and

which, commanded by Capt. Henry Shippen, marched to the

defence of Baltimore. In this company Mr. Buchanan served

until the same was honorably discharged.

He was, in October, 1814, elected a member of the lower

House of the State Legislature, and in that body maintained

the same fearless and patriotic course that distinguished him

throughout the war. When Philadelphia was threatened

with invasion, and the State was left to its own defence, he

urged upon the Legislature in the strongest manner, the

adoption of efficient measures of relief. The National Trea-

sury was at this time almost bankrupt, and on account of

the opposition which the war encountered in the Eastern

States, on the part of the Federalists, (of which party Mr.

Buchanan was then a member), the soldiers in the public

service were with great difficulty paid. Being re-elected to

the Legislature, in 1815, he ardently supported a bill appro-

priating the sum of §300,'" 00, as a loan to the United States,


to pay the militia and volunteers of the State in the govern-

ment service.

At this time Mr. Buchanan took ground against any

unjust discrimination against naturalized foreigners, as com-

pared with the native-born population, except that which

relates to the office of the National Executive. The Gov-

ernors of Massachusetts and Connecticut had transmitted to

the Governor of Pennsylvania certain resolutions, recom-

mending changes in the Federal Constitution, and among the

rest, one which should render naturalized foreigners ineligi-

ble to the Senate or House of Eepresentatives of the United

States. This proposition was strongly disapproved of by Mr.

Buchanan, and the position thus early assumed by him formed

one of his cardinal and life-long principles. It was during

the period of his second session in the Legislature, that he

became impressed with the danger, the inexpediency, and

the unconstitutionality of a United States Bank, an opinion

he ever afterwards steadfastly defended.

The next political step in the career of Mr. Buchanan, is

his election, in 1820, as a member of the lower House of

the National Congress, in which body he took his seat in

December, 1821. At the time he entered that body, an

array of talent was assembled that would grace the halls of

any nation. In the House were the distinguished names of

McDuffie, Joel E. Poinsett, John Randolph, Philip R. Bar-

bour, Andrew Stevenson, Louis McLane, and others equally

noted. In the Senate, Rufus King, jJartin Van Buren,

Mahlon Dickinson, Samuel L. Southard, Nathaniel Macon,

Richard M. Johnson, and others of equal ability were

assembled. Among this assemblage of noble Romans, Mr.

Buchanan took rank at once as one of the most industrious

and indefatigaMe members of the House. He was always

in his seat, and generally participated in the discussions that

arose upon any important public question. His first elabo-

rate speech, delivered January 11th, 1822, was upon a bill

making appropriations to the military for deficiencies in the

Indian department. So ably did he defend the course of

Mr. Crawford, then Secretary of the Treasury, that the

National Intelligencer departed from its usual course and


gave a verbatim report of the speech. This speech at once

enrolled him amongst the ablest men of the House, gave

him a national reputation, and was an earnest of the future

distinction that awaited him.

While Mr. Buchanan was strict in the expenditure of the

national money, he was liberal where necessity was evident.

When some members of Congress found fault with a bill

authorizing the relief of soldiers disabled in the revolu-

tionary war, he met the opposition with the remark, that

the amount proposed " was a scanty pittance for the war-

worn soldier," and that he was altogether disinclined to

oppose a measure that patriotism so imperatively demanded.

Other things that early engaged his attention as a national

legislator, and upon which he made speeches, were the

Apportionment bill. Transactions in Florida, the Appropria-

tion bill, and the Bankrupt bill. The debate upon this

latter bill was long and animated, and one that called forth

the abilities of the House in a remarkable manner. Manyof the most distinguished members of that body were strong

advocates of the bill. Mr. Buchanan did not participate in

the discussion until near the close of the session, and just

before the bill came up for final reading. He then delivered,

March 12th, 1822, one of the most powerful and eloquent

speeches of the session, and in this took grounds against the

passage of so unjust a law, as he conceived. In this he said :

" We are now called upon to decide the fate of a measure of

awful importance. The most dreadful responsibility rests

upon us. We are not now to determine merely whether

a bankrupt law shall be extended to the trading classes of

the community, but whether it shall embrace every citizen

of the Union, and spread its demoralizing influence over the

whole surface of society." Immediately after this speech

the vote was taken and the bill was defeated.

The question of a tariff was a prominent one before the

Eighteenth Congress, and was championed by the dauntless

Clay, of Kentucky, who christened it with the captivating

name of the "American System." In the discussions onthis question, which took place in Congress, we find Mr.

Buchanan arrayed on the side of a protective policy, and


giving utterance to sentiments that would not have met the

approbation of the partisans with whom he afterwards affili-

ated. We find him thus expressing himself :" But, after all,

Mr. Chairman, what do we ask by this bill for the manu-facturers of iron ? Not a prohibitory law, as the gentle-

man from Massachusetts (Mr. Fuller) seems to suppose,

which will exclude foreign iron from our market. We wish

only to infuse into our own manufactures sufficient vigor to

enable them to struggle against foreign competition. Pro-

tection, not prohibition, is our object." Benton's Abridg-

ment of Debates, Vol. VII, p. 673.

In 1827 he again said: " Can any person really believe that

because I supported protection in 1824 I am bound to advo-

cate prohibition in 1827." Benton's Abridgment of Debates,

Vol. IX, p. 394.

In 1825, when the election of a President took place before

the lower House of Congress, Mr. Buchanan urged that it

should be conducted in the presence of the people, with the'

galleries of the House open to the people, and not in secret con-

clave, as was urged by some members and Senators. Hewas opposed to the I'anama mission, a project that had been

conceived by Mr. Clay, and supported by his flowing elo-

quence. In the second session of the nineteenth Congress a

bill was introduced for the relief of the surviving officers of

the revolution, and this Mr. Buchanan sustained in a speech

of great eloquence and power, in which he triumphantly

vindicated the duty of government in providing for the

wants of its defenders.

About this time Mr. Buchanan took occasion to condemn,

in Congi ess, the attiring of our foreign ministers in a military

coat, covered with glittering gold lace, and decking them

with a chapeau and small sword. Thus early did he give

evidence of his republican sentiments ; and afterwards,

during his residence as Minister at the Court of St. James,

he appeared, like Dr. Franklin before him, in the simple and

unpretending garb of an American citizen.

In 1828 General Andrew Jackson was elected President

of the United States, and Mr. Buchanan aided in this result

to the extent of his ability. The majority of 60,000, which


Pennsylvania gave for Jackson, furnishes evidence of tlie

efficiency of his support. He, himself, was re-elected to

Congress in the same campaign, and during the following

session was placed at the head of the Judiciary Committee,

a position that had been filled by Daniel Webster. One of

the most famed cases that had ever came before Congress,

the impeachment of J. H. Peck, Judge of the District Court

of the United States for Missouri, was one in the manage-

ment of which Mr. Buchanan acted a conspicuous part, and

secured himself a national reputation as a barrister of the

first order. He, with Henry R. Storrs, of New York, Geo.

McDuffie, of South Carolina, Ambrose Spencer, of NewYork, and Cha,rles Wicklifte, of Kentucky, were chosen on

the part of the House, as managers to conduct the prosecu-

tion before the Senate. William Wirt and Jonathan Mere-

dith were for the defence. The trial was conducted on both

sides with distinguished ability, Mr. Buchanan closing the

case and confining himself to the legal and constitutional

questions involved. He, in a masterly manner, pointed out

the difference between the principles which govern English

courts and those which, under the Constitution, must govern

those of the United States. The Senate acquitted Judge

Peck by a vote of 22 to 21, but shortly afterwards an act

was passed obviating whatever technical objections stood in

the way of conviction, so that no judge afterwards ventured

to commit a similar oflence.

On the 3rd of March, 1831, Mr. Buchanan voluntarily

retired from Congress, of which he had been a constant

member for ten years. He was soon afterwards selected, byPresident Jackson, as minister to the Court of St. Peters-

burg. In this position he concluded the first commercial

treaty between the United States and Russia, which secured

to our merchantmen and navigators important privileges in

the Baltic and Black seas. In 1833, upon his return from

Russia, he was elected to a seat in the United States Senate,

taking his seat in that body December 15th, 1834.

The subject of negro slavery came before the Senate in

1835, from the reference, in the message of General Jackson,

in regard to the circulation through the United States mail, of


incendiary publications designed to excite insurrection in

the Southern States, and upon memorials for the abolition

of slavery in the District of Columbia. This aspect of the

slavery question was a new one before Congress. How,most judiciously to deal with it, was the question to be

decided. Mr. Buchanan saw, that if the question was

permitted to come constantly before Congress, it would keep

up throughout a never-ceasing agitation, which might, in

the end, endanger the stability and perpetuity of the Ameri-

can Union. He, therefore, conceived as the best method to

deal with it, that some legislation should be enacted that

might stifle the agitation in the bud and prevent the ques-

tion of slavery from being raised and discusse4 in that body.

He favored the receiving of the petitions or memorials for the

abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and then

declaring, after respectfully considering them, that Congress

had no power to legislate on the subject. " I repeat," said

he, " that I intended to make as strong a motion in this

case as the circumstances would justify. It is necessary

that we should use every constitutional effort to suppress

the agitation which now disturbs the land. This is neces-

sary as much for the happiness and future prospects of the

slave as for the security of the master. Before this storm

began to rise, the laws in regard to slaves had been really

ameliorated by the slaveholding States; they enjoyed many

privileges which were unknown in former times. In some of

the slave States prospective and gradual emancipation was

publicly and seriously discussed. But now, thanks to the

efforts of the abolitionists, the slaves have been deprived of

these privileges, and while the liberty of the Union is

endangered, their prospects of final emancipation is delayed

to an indefinite period. To leave this question where the

Constitution has left it, to the slaveholding States themselves,

is equally dictated hy a humane regard for the slaves as well

as for their masters^

About this time Texas was passing through its war of

independence, and Santa Anna, the President of Mexico,

was using all his efforts to reduce it again beneath his

aaithority. Mr. Buchanan sympathized, as an American,


with the struggling Texans, and urged its recognition on

the part of the United States as an independent government.

He afterwards favored the admission of Texas as one of the

States of the American Confederacy.

Towards the close of Gen. Jackson's administration, the

French indemnity question rose to one of the first magnitude.

The French Chamber of Deputies, by a majority of eight

votes, refused to sanction the recommendation of Louis

Philippe, who had advised the payment of the American

indemnity. This conduct on the part of the French, roused

Gen. Jackson to the highest pitch of intensity, and he there-

upon demanded an appropriation of §3,000,000 for the

increase of the navy and for the defence of the maritime

frontier. Mr. Buchanan supported the demand of the Presi-

dent in an able speech, and reviewed the whole ground of

difficulty between France and the United States, and clearly

established, by the law of nations, the error into whiah the

French government had fallen; and that the money being

justly owing to American citizens, it was incumbent upon

the government to see that they received their dues. The

decided stand taken by President Jackson on French affairs,

and the noble support accorded him by Mr. Buchanan and

other leading men of the nation, hastened the settlement of

the troublesome question.

One of the most important subjects that came before this

Congress, was the admission of Michigan and Arkansas into

the Union. The subject gave rise to much debate, in all of

which Mr. Buchanan bore a conspicuous and distinguished

part. It was objected to the admission of Michigan that

aliens had participated in the formation of the Constitution;

but Mr. Buchanan took the ground that aliens who were

residents of the northwestern territory had a right, by vir-

tue of the ordinance of 1787, to exercise the elective franchise.

In this discussion Mr. Buchanan made use of the following

language :" Tlie older I groiv, the more I am inclined to he

what is called a State-rights man. The peace and security of

of this Union depend iipon giving to the Constitution a

literal and fair construction, such as would be placed upou

it by a plain and intelligent man, and not by ingenious


constructions to increase the powers of this government,

and thereby diminish 'those of the States. The rights of

the States, reserved to them by that instrument, oiight ever

to be sacred. If, then, the Constitution leaves them to de-

cide according to their own discretion, unrestricted and

unlimited, who shall be electors, it follows as a necessary

consequence that they may, if they think proper, confer

upon resident aliens the right of voting."

Mr. Buchanan was early in his advocacy of specie pay-

ments by the general government, instead of depreciated

bank paper. In this he went hand-in-hand with Thomas H.

Benton, the Ajax of American Democracy. He depicted,

in forcible language, the evils that flow from the increase of

banking capital to the laboring man, and, indeed, to all

classes save the speculators. " Banks," he said, " could

make money plenty at one time and scarce at another ; at

one nioment nominally raise the price of all property beyond

its real value, and the next moment reduce it below that

standard, and thus prove most ruinous to the best interests

of the people. The increase of banking capital was calcu-

lated to transfer the wealth and property of the country

from the honest, industrious and unsuspecting classes of

society, into the hands of speculators, who knew when to

purchase and when to sell."

Upon the opening of the Twenty-fourth Congress, Decem-

ber 5th, 1836, Mr. Buchanan was chosen to the honorable

and responsible position of chairman of the Committee of

Foreign Eelations. The principal feature of this session

was the discussion of Mr. Benton's celebrated " Expunging

Resolution," which the indomitable Senator from Missouri

had introduced, time after time, for the purpose of having

expunged from the journal of the Senate the stain which

had been affixed upon General Jackson, for his removal of

the deposits from the United States Bank. In this noble

effort he had the cooperation of Mr. Buchanan, who, in a

speech of masterly power, and of rich and graceful elo-

quence, defended the hero of Orleans from all unjust asper-

sion, and proved, by the most convincing logic, that an

imperative justice demanded of the American Senate that


it erase from its records the base brand of obloquy that had

been stamped upon the conduct of the National Executive.

His oration upon this occasion has always been considered

as one of the finest specimens of eloquence that was ever

witnessed upon the floor of the United States Senate. Im-

mediately after the delivery of Mr. Buchanan's speech, the

vote on the " Expunging Resolution " was taken, and the

odious record stricken from the journal of the Senate.

Martin Van Buren succeeded General Jackson, as Presi-

dent, March 4th, 1837. It was a time of great financial

distress; greater, if possible, than that of 1820-21, which

followed the war of 1812-1-t. Th^ general flooding of the

country with excessive issues of paper currency had stimu-

lated one of those periods of general speculation which had

covered the land with universal desolation. The President

summoned an extra session of Congress, in order that

measures might be devised to remedy the jjressure of the

financial crisis. Almost the first bill introduced was the " Sub -

Treasury Act." Mr. Buchanan favored the passage of the

bill in a speech of great power, and therein explained the

causes of the monetary embarrassment in a most profound

and statesmanlike manner, and presented a clear conception

of the power of the General Government in regard to the

question under consideration. His views upon this measure

were of the most matured character, and his clear exposi-

tion of the powers of government aided greatly in securing

the passage of the bill.

In the regular session of 1837, the relations of the Ameri-

can government with Mexico came under consideration. In

the course of a debate upon this subject, Mr. Buchanan

traced the conduct of the Mexican government towards our

citizens, and showed that the American flag was no protec-

tion to them, and that after being insulted and robbed, no

satisfaction or apology was given. In reply to Mr. Clay,

who suggested that owing to our deranged state of the cur-

rency we had better avoid war, he indignantly replied : "If

the national honor demanded vindication, he would not be

deterred by any such consideration. He, for one, would not

consent to see American citizens plundered with impunity."


The question of the preemption right of settlers came up

in the Senate about this time, and Mr. Buchanan defended

this right, and was unwilling that any distinction should be

made between American settlers and those of foreign birth.

It was, as he conceived, a just right that should be accorded

to the hardy pioneers, whether native citizens or those whobraved tide and tempest, in order to seek a home in the

wilds of our western country.

Another important question arose under Van Buren's

administration, in regard to the alleged interference of federal

officers in elections. A bill was introduced which proposed

penalties upon any officer of the United States government,

below the rank of a District Attorney, who should attempt

to persuade a citizen to vote for any person to be elector

of President and Vice President of the United States or for

other certain officers. This measure was opposed by Mr.

Buchanan with all the powers of his mind, and it was soon

thereafter abandoned.

The last Congress, under Mr. Van Buren's administration,

commenced its first session December 2nd, 1839. It proved

a very important session, as business of an interesting charac-

ter engaged the attention of Congress. On the bill intro-

duced by Silas Wright, of New York, " to more effectually

secure the public money in the hands of the officers and

agents of the government," long and violent discussion was

had. It was the call for marshaling the old warriors of

bank and anti-bank. The contest was again terrific and was

another Trojan struggle renewed.

Mr. Buchanan's speech on the Independent Treasury, of

the 22nd of January, ISiO, was able, dignified and profound.

It is considered as containing the best synopsis of the science

of political economy, and the relation between capital and

labor that any American statesman had yet produced. Atleast it had never been surpassed. At the period of the de^

livery of this speech, Mr. Buchanan had been familiar with

the working of the government for twenty years. He had

passed through financial revulsions before, and having

studied the effect of extravagant bank expansions, he was

able to place his finger upon the errors of the past, and like.


a skillful mariner, direct how to avoid the shoals and quick-

sands that might lie in the future. It was out of this speech

of Mr. Buchanan's, on the Independent Treasury, that his

enemies gathered material which served to fasten upon himthe charge of having advocated a reduction of the wages of

labor. No charge was ever more unjust. John Davis, Sen-

ator of Massachusetts, was foremost amongst those who pur-

sued him with this accusation. The manner, however, in

which he defended himself from the justness of this charge,

upon the floor of the United States Senate, in reply to Sen-

ator Davis, and the rejoinders he administered to the latter,

are not yet forgotten by the older of our citizens.

The election of 18-iO swept, as by a hurricane, the Demo-cratic party from power. General Harrison was elected

President of the United States, and the Whig party had the

ascendancy in both houses of Congress. Almost immediately

after his election, the new President issued a proclamation

for Congress to meet in extra session, May 31st, 1841. Con-

gress met, but Harrison was already in his grave. The first

movement was the introduction of a bill for the repeal of

the Independent Treasury. Early in the same session Mr.

Clay presented his plan of a "Fiscal Bank." The Demo-cracy, though in the minority, fought the friends of the bankagain, but in vain would have been their resistance but for

the assistance of Vice President John Tyler, now President,

who came to their rescue. In opposition to Clay's "Fiscal

Bank," Mr. Buchanan made one of his great speeches, and

reiterated his constitutional objections to the establishment

of a National Bank.

The-repeated vetoes of John Tyler of the favorite mea-

sures of the Whig party, so exasperated the leaders, that

Mr. Clay introduced a proposition to abolish the veto power,

conferred upon the President by the Constitution. On the

2nd of February, IBIS, Mr. Buchanan made an elaborate

reply to Mr. Clay's proposition, reviewing our whole system

of government and showing the intimate relations existing

between its parts. This logical and profound speech mani-

fested on the part of Mr. Buchanan an accurate knowledge

of the fundamental laws and maxims of civil government.

lOi BIOGEAPHICAL HISTORY

The most important feature of Mr. Tyler's administration

consisted in the steps taken for the annexation of Texas.

As heretofore stated, Mr. Buchanan was one of the earliest

advocates of that measure. In his remarks upon this sub-

ject he said: " While the annexation of Texas would afford

that security to the Southern and Southwestern slave States

which they have a right to demand, it would, in some resiDects,

operate prejudicially upon their immediate jêcuniary inte-

rests;.but to the Middle and Western, and more especially

to the New England States, it would be a source of unmixed

prosperity. It would extend their commerce, promote their

manufactures and increase their wealth. The New England

States resisted with all their power the acquisition of Louisi-

ana ;and I ask, what would those States have been at this

day without that territory ? They will also resist the an-

nexation of Texas with similar energy ; although, after it

has been acquired, it is they who will reap the chief pecuni-

ary advantages from the acquisition." The admission of

Texas was not consummated until after the election of James

K. Polk to the Presidency.

The election of 18i4 again brought the Democratic party

into j30wer. James K. Polk, as soon as he was inaugurated

President, selected for the responsible position of Secretary

of State, the man whose career we are sketching, James

Buchanan. So intimately connected were the actions of Mr.

Buchanan and the administration of President Polk, that full

justice could not be done the former otherwise than in a

complete history of that administration. He was the ac-

knowledged head of the Cabinet Council, and nothing of

importance was undertaken Avithout his sanction being had

and approbation obtained. Of the many able State papers

of which he was author during his premiership, time and

space forbid our speaking. At the close of Mr. Polk's

administration, he retired to private life, at Wheatland.

Mr. Buchanan, although now basking in the shades of

rural life, was by no means an indifferent spectator of public

affairs. He still continued to watch the current of political

opinions with the same eager eye as ever, and discussed

public questions with his friends with the same warmth as


in his younger years. After the passage of the compromise

measures of 1850, Mr. Buchanan was among the first to en-

dorse them, and to spread throughout Pennsylvania a pub-

lic sentiment in their favor. In a letter written by him

in November, 1850, to a public meeting in Philadelphia, he

expressed himself freely upon the compromise, and gave it

his full and unqualified approbation.

Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire, was elected Presi-

dent of the United States in the autumn of 1852. Upon his

taking the presidential chair, in March following, one of his

first act.s was the appointment of Mr. Buchanan as Minister

to England. One of the principal questions that engaged

his attention in London, was the Central American question,

which the Clayton-Bulwer treaty had complicated but not

settled. He was also one of the Ministers who conferred

together at Ostend, regarding the Island of Cuba, and the

result of the deliberations of which Conference has popu-

larly been known as the Ostend Manifesto.

The question of slavery was one which James Buchanan

ever viewed from a conservative stand-point. From the

time he first presented in Congress the petition from the

Cain quarterly meeting of Friends, till his death, he regarded

the subject of slavery as one over which the National Gov-

ernment had no legitimate control, viewing it as within the

sole jurisdiction of the States in which the institution had

existence. These views he proclaimed when he presented

in Congress the above petition to which allusion has been

made, and this conservative attitude he ever afterwards

maintained, and which was in unison with the sentiments of

the framers of the constitution and the principal statesmen

of the old Democratic and Whig parties.

Mr. Buchanan was one ®f those statesmen who regarded

the question of slavery as one that existed by virtue of

compromise, and he desired to see nothing done to violate

the compacts of faith that had been solemnly ratified between

the Northern and Southern sections of the Union. TheCompromise measures of 1850 had his hearty adhesion, as

in these he seemed to recognize the settlement of the only

question that could, perhaps for ages, jeopard the national

10


integrity. With the greatest anxiety and dread, was it there-

fore that he heard, whilst in Europe, of the repeal of the

Missouri Compromise in 1854. In a letter written to a lead-

ing statesman of his party, about the time that the repeal

began to be mooted, he uttered solemn words of warning,

and strongly remonstrated against the abrogation of this

time-honored compact. He depicted in strong colors the

dangers that he apprehended would result, should this unwise

attempt be consummated. From an intimate knowledge of

the feelings of the people of the North, he predicted the

terrible storm that would be excited throughout the country

by such an opening up of the slavery agitation as this would

occasion.

But the admonitions of Mr. Buchanan were unheeded.

The Kansas-Nebraska act was passed by Congress on the

25th of May, and received the signature of President Pierce

on the 30th of the same month. The windows of slavery

agitation were thereby all opened, as he had predicted, and

the deluge that began to pour upon the land was frightful

and terrific. The anti-slavery press of the Northern States

teemed full of abuse of the men who had dared in the glare

of the light and advancement of the nineteenth century, to

attempt to favor the cause of slavery ; for in no other aspect

could the action of the National Congress be viewed. It

seemed in their eyes an unholy effort to turn back the dial

of the age, and an effort to ojDen up all the territory of the

west to the abomination of slavery. The storm of aboli-

tionism thus aroused, blew and gathered strength by dis-

tance, and the strong oaks of the Democratic party were

bending beneath its blasts.

In the midst of this vast hurricane of partisan fury, the

Democratic Convention assembled at Cincinnati in 1856,

and placed in nomination James Buchanan as their candidate

for the presidency. By skillful management, the old party

of Jefferson, in the face of all opposition was again victorious,

and its nominee, the subject of our notice, was elected. Onthe 4th of March, 1857, he was inaugurated the 15th Pres-

ident of the United States.

After the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the Terri-

OF LANCASTER COUXTT. 107

tory of Kansas became the battle-ground between the anti-

slavery and pro-slaverj parties. Emigrants were hurried

into the territory by both parties, each aiming at gaining

the ascendancy within its borders ; the one party seeking to

make it a free and the other a slave State. The one per-

sisteatly contended that slavery was local in its character, and

therefore if a slaveholder brought his slaves with him these

became instantly free. The other, quite as strongly main-

tained that slavery was recognized by the constitution, and

therefore the owner of slaves had the same right to carry his

slaves with him into the territory as any other property.

Without this right the Southern people insisted that the

equality of the States would be destroyed, and they would

sink from the rank of equals to that of inferiors. In this

view the pro-slavery party were sustained by the solemn,

adjudication of the Supreme Court. They yielded acqui-

escence in the territorial government appointed over them.

by Congress; whereas, the anti- slavery party having held a

convention at Topeka, formed a State constitution and ap-

plied for admittance into the Union. They were, however,

rejected. The regular Territorial Legislature, on the 27th

of February, 1857, passed an act for the election of delegates

in June of that year to frame a State constitution.

This was the condition of affairs in Kansas when Mr.

Buchanan 'was inaugurated President, on the 4th of March,

1857. A majority of the pro-slavery delegates were elected in

June, 1857, because the anti-slavery party refused to parti-

cipate in the election. When the convention assembled, they

adopted what was known as the Lecompton Constitution

;

and as slavery was the main question at variance between

the parties, it was determined that this should be submitted

to a vote of the people of the State. It was so submitted

in December of that year, and the anti-slavery party, still

persisting in their refusal to vote, the result was 6226 votes

in favor of slavery, and but 569 against it. At the election

held on the first Monday in January, 1858, under the newconstitution, the anti-slavery party voting, a large majority

of the members of the Legislature elected, belonged to this

party. On the 30th of January, of the same year, the Le-


compton Constitution was transmitted to Mr. Buchanan, as

the National Executive, from the president of, the conven-

tion, with the request that it be submitted to the considera-

tion of Congress. This was done in a message of the 2nd of

February, 1858, and therein President Buchanan recom-

mended the admission of Kansas as a State, under the Le-

compton Constitution. He said :" The people of Kansas have

in their own way and in strict accordance with the organic

act, framed a Constitution and State Government ; have sub-

mitted the all-imjjortant question of slavery to the people,_

and have elected a governor, a member to represent them in

Congress, members of the State Legislature and other State

officers. * * * For my own part, I am decidedly in

favor of its admission, and thus terminating the Kansas

question."

This message occasioned a long, exciting and violent

debate, in both Houses of Congress, between the slavery

and anti-slavery members, which lasted nearly three months.

It was but the reecho of the storm that was raging through-

out the land. Mr. Buchanan was bitterly denounced as

truckling to the slave power, and as lending the weight of

his high office towards fixing upon the peopile of Kansas

the curse of slavery against their will. Members of Con-

gress were classified, during this controversy, as Lecompton

and anti-Lecompton, as they favored or opposed the admis-

sion of Kansas. A wing of his own party separated from

Mr. Buchanan on this point, and among these Stephen A.

Douglas, of niinois. Kansas was not admitted under this

Lecompton Constitution, and was only admitted a short time

before the close of Mr. Buchanan's administration, with a

free constitution.

But events were gradually culminating during Mr.

Buchanan's administration towards a catastrophe of one

kind or another. The slavery question was now the one all

paramount. All other questions merged into insignificance,

and it is only iu the light of the slavery agitation of the

period that his administration is estimated. No other act of

his as President is ever remembered, and from that stand-

point alone will he ever be judged. In the midst, however, of


the terrible commotion of the period, it soon became clear that

even in the ranks of the Democratic party a schism, in fact,

existed, and but time was required to develop it. This was

also occasioned by the slavery question, and by many was

considered as occasioned by an eiibrt to compromise on the

question. Senator Douglas became prominent as the 'advo-

cate of what he chose to term squatter sovereignty, but

which principle found no sanction in the decision of the

Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case. His arguments

were, however, very captivating and attractive, and he suc-

ceeded in carrying with him a large body of the Democratic

party. To this interpretation of the Constitution the South-

ern people were almost equally hostile as towards the out-

and-out principles of the Republican party. They simply

regarded Senator Douglas as bidding for the Presidency

before the abolition sentiment of the North, and therefore

they bore him an unquenchable ill-will and steady oppo-

sition.

When -the Democratic convention met at Charlestoja, in

April, 1860, it was not long till the want of harmony in the

party showed itself in the representative body. An attempt

was made to agree upon a platform of principles, but with-

out effect, and therefore the withdrawal of the delegates

from the cotton States was the consequence of this disa-

greement. The convention adjourned to meet at Baltimore,

in the hope of yet securing harmony in the actions of that

body. It re-assembled in June, at Baltimore, but without

any better success than at Charleston. The breach had

become too great and could not be remedied. Both wings of

the party nominated their candidates, Stephen A. Douglas

being the nominee of the one, and John C. Breckinridge of

the other. The sympathies of Mr. Buchanan were with the

wing of the party that nominated Breckinridge, but no hopes

of success could be anticipated by either, and the result was

the election of Abraham Lincoln as President.

As soon as the election of Abraham Lincoln was madeknown, the Southern people prepared to inaugurate the

movement of secession. The first to secede were the cotton

States, and on the ith of March, 1861, these organized a


government at Montgomery, Alabama, with Jefferson Davis

as President. The people of the Southern States had long

harbored the belief that the Eepublican party alone wouldbe unable to prevent a dissolution of the Union, because

they did not believe that the Democrats of the North wouldgive their adhesion to the prosecution of a war for the resto-

ration of the Union.

It was one of the cardinal principles of the Democratic

party, that States could not be coerced''by the general gov-

•ernmeut, and one which had been solemnly reiterated again

and again in its conventions, and they did not believe that

the party could go back of its pledges and resolutions. TheVirginia and Kentucky resolutions of 1798, the one sketched

by Madison and the other by Jefferson, clearly denied the

coercion of States by the general government. These reso-

lutions had ever formed the political bible, as it were, of the

Democratic party. Jame Buchanan, however, better under-

stood the tone of the Northern people, and he frequently

assured the Southern leaders that the first gun fired upon

Fort Sumpter or Moultrie would heal all political divisions

in the Noith, and render it a unit in support of a war for

the preservation of the national integrity. He had mingled

so long in politics as to have discovered that the prouiises

of most politicians are unreliable, and therefore was it that

he uttered his cautions to those who depended upon aid

from the Northern States.

As to the doctrine of coercion, he clearly laid down the

correct principle of the party in his last annual message to

Congress. In this he says :" The question fairly stated is :

has the constitution delegated to Congress the power to

coerce a State into submission, which is attempting to with-

draw or has actually withdrawn from the Confederacy ? If

answered in the afSrmative, it must be on the principle that

power has been conferred upon Congress to make war against

a State. After much serious reflection, I have arrived at

the conclusion that no such power has been delegated to

Congress, or to any other department of the. Federal Gov-

ernment. It is manifest, upon an inspection of the consti-

lution, that this is not among the specific and enumerated

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. Ill

powers granted to Congress ; and it is equally apparent, that

its exercise is not ' necessary and proper for carrying into

execution ' any one of these powers. So far from this power

having been delegated to Congress, it was expressly refused

by the convention which framed the constitution.

" It appears from the proceedings of that body, that on

the 31st of May, 1787, the clause 'authorizing an exertion

of the force of the whole against a delinquent State' came

lip for consideration. Mr. Madison opposed it in a brief but

powerful speech, upon which I shall extract but a single

sentence. He observed :' The use of force against a State

would look more like a declaration of war than an infliction

of punishment, and would, probably, be considered by the

party attacked as a dissolution of all previous compacts bywhich it might be bound.' Upon his motion the clause was

unanimously postponed, and was never, I believe, again pre-

sented. Soon afterwards, on the 8th of June, 1787, whenincidentally adverting to the subject, he said: ' Any govern-

ment for the United States, formed upon the supposed prac-

ticability of using force against the unconstitutional pro-

ceedings of the States, would prove as visionary and falla-

cious as the government of Congress,' evidently meaning the

then existing Congress of the old Confederation."

The above was the old Democratic doctrine, and when he

had given utterance to it, if he believed it, he should have

maintained it. But so great at that time was the popular

clamor in favor of coercion, that in his special message to

Congress of the 8th of January, 1861, he attempts to evade

the above, and draws the distinction between coercing a

State and the individuals of the State. A weak distinction,

indeed. What is the State but the individuals who compose

it? If no authority was delegated to the general govern-

ment to coerce a State, whence is the authority derived to

coerce the individuals of the State, the very ones who form

a State? In this backing down of Mr. Buchanan from the

position first assumed by him, he exhibited a weakness

not creditable to one who filled the exalted position of

the Presidency of a nation. If his doctrine as regarded

coercion was true, it remained so, though all the North


should declare the contrary. Then why not maintain it?

Though its maintenance should have been pronounced trea-

son, and death the penalty, he of all others should havedefended it. Many brave men before had suffered for opinion

sake, and did they sink in history on that account ? Theywere only the more remembered and respected for their

heroism and staunch defence of principle.

Mr. Buchanan repeatedly asked of Congress additional

authority to enable him to collect the duty in the Southern

ports, where all the federal officers had resigned, but to this

Congress gave no attention. At least the additional authority

was not granted. His condition as President at that time

was a very trying and perplexing one. Elected as a Demo-crat, upon principles that always gave satisfaction to the

people of the Southern States, it is not to be supposed that

he weuld desire to fighi with the South the battle of the

Eepublican party. The genuine Democratic party and the

South had no quarrel; and James Buchanan, belonging to

that school, had none either. _ Should he provoke a war with

the South during the remnant of his term of office? Surely

not. He and his party had done all in their power to avert

the calamity then coming upon the country, and were able

still to settle the troubles if they had the power. But that

had passed from their hands, and it was the new power that

the South designed to resist. Not the nation did they meanto resist, but simply the power of the Eepublican party.

It is no wonder, therefore, if James Buchanan would feel

a pleasure in being relieved from an office at a time of such

embarrassment. He is said to have remarked to the newPresident: "If you, sir, feel as happy in entering upon the

office of President as I do in retiring therefrom, then you are

a happy man to-day."

After the 4th of March, 1861, James Buchanan returned

to Lancaster, where he met with a reception befitting his

rank and condition, and upon this occasion made his last

public address to his fellow-citizens of Lancaster. He re-

viewed the condition of public affairs at sojne length, and

returned, in conclusion, his warmest thanks for the honors

his countrymen had showered upon him. The remainder of


his days he passed at his residence, called " Wheatland," near

Lancaster. During the years he lived in retirement he was

frequently visited by his Democratic friends, whom he ever

received with great cordiality and friendship. After his

retirement he prepared a history of his administration, but

did not publish the same until the close of the rebellion.

It is entitled, "Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the

Rebellion." In this he essays the task of defending the

policy he maintained, especially as regards the slavery ques-

tion and the rebellion consequent upon its agitation. Ofthe rectitude of his conduct as regards his attitude on the

slavery question, he was ever firmly convinced. In the

presence of some friends, after his return from Washington,

and after the inauguration of war, he remarked: "Well,

gentlemen, I am fully convinced that the American people

will yet justify me for the attitude I have maintained as re-

gards the slavery question." Mr. Buchanan enjoyed his

u.sual good health for several years. Even his last illness

was short. He died June 1, 1868. His funeral was the

largest ever seen in Lancaster.

A sketch of the distinguished subject of our notice would

be imperfect unless he would be delineated according to his

deserts. As a statesman there is no doubt that Mr. Bu-

chanan is deserving of ranking amongst the ablest to whomAmerica has given birth. The great secret of his success as

a statesman, was his sagacity to discover the political current

before he too fully committed himself. It was this same

trait, however, on the other hand, that has occasioned him

more abuse than all else. This was his characteristic timid-

ity, for there is no use in concealing the fact, that Mr. Bu-

chanan was timid to a fault. He was not the bold man whowould advance his opinions, let them be popular or other-

wise. Had he been a man of that boldness, it is scarcely

probable that he would ever have filled the presidential

chair ; or if he had filled it, his action as President would

have commanded more respect than it did.

In private life, even so exceedingly reticent was Mr. Bu-

chanan at all times during the rebellion, that his opinion

could not be elicited at any time as to the results of the war.


When an opinion was sought of him, he would usually

give an evasive reply, and left it only to be guessed what his

real opinion was, and it is doubtful even if his most con-

fidential friends knew whether he favored the prosecution of

the war for the restoration of the Union or not. If his sen-

timents were the same as most of the leading Democrats of

his school, he could not have favored what he must have re-

garded as a violation of the Federal Constitution. Yet if

such were his opinions, he chose to conceal them ; for other-

wise in the inflamed condition of Northern sentiment dur-

ing the war, he felt that his person and prope. ty would have

been in jeopardy. Indeed, frequent threats were madeagainst his life, but these were ever regarded as the tempo-

rary ebullition of passion that would soon subside. Manywere the letters he received denouncing him and threatening

vengeance upon his head, but to none of them did he ever

give any heed. They may, however, have somewhat more

firmly sealed his lips during the rebellion, as during all this

period he seemed to be particularly close-mouthed. Thegreat fault of Mr. Buchanan was his extreme timidity, which

did not permit him to do sometimes what he desired to do.

As a citizen, Mr. Buchanan had no superiors. He was

kind-hearted, generous and humane, and a worthy object

would never escape his recognition. He was not one of

those who blindly became attached to friends, but he had a

universal and sympathetic feeling for mankind. He w.is

regarded by many as cold and phlegmatic, and that he had

no regard for friends or enemies. Such was not James

Buchanan. Many found fault with him because they had

not at his hands received such favors as they had hoped.

It was not in his power to favor all his friends, but he did

all in that way that he possibly could'; and that he could

have done vastly more would have been a great pleasure to

him. That he was entirely blameless in all his actions could

not be expected. He was human and liable to err, as all are;

but that his faults were many, none will contend. He was

perfectly honest and upright in all his actions and deal-

ings, and in these particulars he is worthy of imitation by all.

But few men live a more irreproachable life than Mr. Bu*


hcanan. He was highly esteemed by men of all parties, and

none were so liardy as not to concede him honesty of pur-

pose.

As a lawyer, he ranked amongst the ablest of the whole

countryl; and when engaged in the practice he read little

but the books pertaining to his profession. He never was

amanof greatmiscellaneoas reading, and save law and politics

his knowledge was limited. His extensive intercourse with

leading minds and his residences in Europe, had given him

a very general information ujjon all current topics, but he

was in no sense either a scholar or a student. His know-

ledge, which was very considerable, was more what might

be called picked-up, than acquired by dint of his own read-

ing. He was an American, fully imbued with American

ideas, and he cared little for knowing that which he could

not turn to practical account. Indeed, he made no preten-

sions to scholarship or profundity. He therefore knewnothing of many matters that engage the attention of stu-

dents who are such from choice. His opinions upon no

point except law and politics are therefore to be estimated. Heknew much of the world, and for an American, as its society

is now constituted, he was the man for the times.

Had he been the stern and outspoken advocate of princi-

l^le at all times, he would have been left in inglorious obscur-

ity, and would perhaps never have been heard of save in his

own county, or at most his State, as a sound, able lawyer.

He is simply the production of American life and customs

;

and what he might have been under another form of govern-

ment we have no means of estimating. He, however, must

remain the type of American statesmen, and other times

and regulations, perhaps another form of government, will

be required to develop a very different one. That Mr.

Buchanan had the ability to achieve distinction in an}' jjur-

suit, and under any form of government, is readily conceded.

His ability was of the very first order, at least in the depart-

ment of statesmanship.

BUCHANAN, John, was elected a County Commissioner

in 1824.

BUCKLEY, Daniel, was an iron-master of Lancaster


county. He was a member of the Legislature in the years

1794, 1798, 1799 and 1800. He is one of the ancestors of

Clement B. Grubb, iron-master, of this city.

BUEROWES, Thomas H., was born in Strasburg, Lan-

caster county, Pa., November 16th, 1805. He received a

liberal education at Quebec and Trinity College, Dublin,

Ireland, where his parents resided for some years. Although

never matriculated as a regular student of Trinity College,

yet he acquired a sound knowledge of the Latin and the

French languages, considerable accpaintance with the Greek,

and the rudiments of the German. He acquired, however,

besides the mere education of a collegiate routine, an enlarged

view of the world, and those habits of self-reliance which

became to him of more importance than the most scholarly

attainments could otherwise have been to him. He became

better prepared for the stern battle of American life less bycontact with books than by observation of life, from his

travels and intercourse with society. Upon returning to

Pennsylvania, he chose the law for his profession, and

entered, as a student, the office of Amos Bllmaker, of Lan-

caster, a lawyer of liberal scholarship and of the highest

standing at the bar. After reading two and a half years

with Mr. F.llmaker, he entered, in 1829, the Yale College

Law School, and pursued his legal studies in this institution

for some time, and was in the autumn of 1829 admitted to

the bar of Lancaster county, and soon after began the prac-

tice of law. Being in easy circumstances he did not devote

himself to the practice of the profession with that zeal and

energy that others of less means are necessitated to employ

;

but he soon became somewhat active in politics, and in

October, 1831, was returned from Lancaster county as a

member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and

was reelected in 1*532. While a member of the Legislature,

owing to his party being in the minority, he did not attain

any leading distinction ; nor did he seek to render himself

particularly conspicuous, but was amongst the most regular

in his attendance at his post of duty. Upon, the ascent of

his party to power in the election of Joseph Ritner, as Gov-

ernor of Pennsylvania, in 1835, he was called upon to fill


the of6.ce of the Secretary of the Commonwealth/ to which

'The State of Pennsylvania, in 1838, was upon the verge of civil con-

viilsion, brought about by a dispute that arose in the city of Philadel-

phia as regards the election returns of certain aspirants for legislative

honors. One party claimed certain members as legally chosen, and their

opponents insisted that the opposing candidates had been elected. Twosets of conflicting returns had been made out, and one of these had re-

ceived the sanction of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and was trans-

mitted to the proper ofiicer. When, therefore, the House of Rejjresen-

tatives met at Harrisburg, at 11 o'clock, December 4th, 1838, the Clerk

of the old House of Representatives began reading the returns of election

for members which had been furnished him by Mr. Bunowes, Secretary

of the Commonwealth. As soon as he had reached the returns of the

county of Philadelphia, a Mr. Pray (one of the contesting members for

the county), arose and handed the Clerk another i-eturn, and desired it

to be read. Mr. T. S. Smith, another member from Philadelphia, pro-

tested against the reading of this return as being illegal and void, and

not properly befoi'e the House. After some discussion, both returns

were allowed to be read, and then the returns for the rest of the State

were read without objection. The contestant members from Philadel-

phia of the opposing jjoUtical factions being admitted, each party nowproceeded to elect a Speaker, the Whigs choosing Thomas S. Cunning-

ham, of Mercer ; and the Democrats, James Hopkins, of Washington.

After order became restored, each Speaker proceeded to qualify the

member of his own party. After the members of each part y had been

sworn in, each adjourned to meet the next day.

The Senate was called to order at 3 o'clock, in the midst of much dis-

order, and after a parlimentary display of partisan tactics, Charles B.

Penrose was elected Siêaker of the Senate. The public excitement by this

time had become intense, owing to a popular impression that a design

had been concocted to defeat the election of those fairly entitled to seats

in the Legislature. The mass of spectators seemed to believe that the

Secretary of the Commonwealth had been tampered with, and that his

retmn was made in the interest of the party with which he was knownto be in sympathy.

A Mr. Brown, from PhOadelphia, attemj)ted to speak and was called to

order as not beilig a member of the Senate. This excited the populace,

and the shout was raised—"hear him," "Brown," "Brown," "youshall hear Brown, '

' and similar outbursts of excitement now rent the halls.

AU at this moment became excitement and confusiim, and a Mr. Rodgers,

a member of the Senate, rose and moved that Mr. Brown be permitted to

address the Senate. Brown now addressed the Senate, and all the while the

tumult was increasing, when Mr. Penrose feeling himself unable to pre-

serve order, yielded the chair to Mr. Rodgers and made his escape.

Violent threats were now freely made against Thaddeus Stevens, Pen-

rose and Burrowes, and the.se gentlemen retired from the assemblage

and left their opponents in possession of the field.

The same day, Governor Ritner issued his proclamation, calling upon


the Superintendency of Common Schools was then, ex officio,

attached. From this time Mr. Burrowes made the work of

popular education a subject of the most careful study, and

prepared a revised school bill, which was adopted by the

Legislature in 1836, and from that time, with great energy,

devoted himself to the execution of the law. The years of

1837 and 1838 were periods of much activity in the educa-

tional life of Mr. Burrowes. In 1837 he published a plan

and drawing for the improvement of school houses and

furniture, which was widely used, and which was the first

effort of the kind in the State, if not in. the Union. In

1839, upon the retirement of Joseph Eitner from the ofS.ce

of Governor, and the coming into power of a different

administration, the Superintendency of Common Schools

passed into other hands, and Mr. Burrowes returned to

Lancaster and devoted the next seven years of his life to

agricultural pursuits, on a farm which he owned near the

city of Lancaster. He had always been attached, and in

his youth somewhat enured to rural affairs, yet he lacked

that financial fitness necessary to render the pursuit of hus-

the civil authorities "to exert themselves to restore order to the utmost

of their power," and calling upon the military force of the common-wealth to hold themselves "in instant readiness to repair to the seat of

government ; and upon all good citizens to aid in crushing the lawless

mob, and in reinstating the supremacy of the law."

In a day or two, numbers of armed military companies arrived fi'om

diflerent sections of the State, and order was speedily restored.

The Senate and the two Houses of Representatives continued to as-

semble, but without an adjustment of the difficulty being yet effected.

In the meanwhile three members of the Cunningham House of Repre-

sentatives came into tlie Hopkins House and took their seats, and

desired to be qualified as members of that body. These gentlemen,

Messrs. Butler and Sturdivant, of Luzerne, and Montelius, of Union,

were sworn and took their seats, and this gave the Hopkins party a legal

Cjuonun of the whole number of Representatives.

Mr. Micheler, a Whig Senator from Northampton, on the 35th of

December offered a resolution to recognize the Hopkins House of Repre-

sentatives as containing a quorum of the legally returned members, and

this resolution was adopted by 17 voting in the affirmative and 16 in the

negative. Several Whig Senators favored the resolution, and thus the

difficulty terminated which for a time thi-eatened to drench the land ia

blood. This period of excitement and tumult has ever since beeapopularly known as the "Buckshot War."


bandry a profitable one. Owing to pecuniary losses, which

he about this time sustained, he was compelled to dispose of

his farm, and in 1845 he again returned to his profession, in

the city of Lancaster. Immediately afterwards he com-

menced a series of papers, in the Lancaster Intelligencer, on

the nature, defects and improvement of the Common School

System of the State. These being over his own signature,

were made more elaborate than newspaper communications

usually are, and went into considerable detail. These arti-

cles attracted considerable attention, and were copied or

otherwise noticed by papers in different parts of the State,

and aided in uniting and directing the public sentiment, then

beginning to manifest itself in favor of school improvement.

At the convention of the friends of Education, held at

Harrisburg in January, 1850, Mr. Burrowes was chosen

temporary President, and acted as chairman of the com-

mittee "to consider and report the best means for invigorat-

ing the general superintendence of the Common School

System, harmonizing its local operations, and spreading the

knowledge of its true nature and benefits, its progress and

necessities." In the report submitted by him on that occa-

sion, Mr. B. recommended the establishment of a separate

State department of education, and the publication of a

monthly educational State journal for the dissemination of

matters pertaining to the interests of education amongst the

friends of the cause in all parts of the Commonwealth. His

views met the unanimous endorsement of the convention

upon this occasion.

In 1851, a number of teachers, of Lancaster, having met

in convention, in the city of Lancaster, chose Mr. Burrowes

as their chairman, and measures were adopted for the pro-

motion of a permanent educational association in the county.

On this occasion Mr. Burrowes delivered an elaborate address

upon the condition of the school system and the duties of

teachers, which was printed and largely distributed. Atthis meeting a resolution was adopted authorizing the Presi-

dent to commence the publication of "a monthly paper de-

voted exclusively to the spread of information relative to

education." This was the origin of the Pennsylvania School


Journal, a work that until, receutly occupied mucli of tlie

time and attention of Mr. Burrowes, and one that has exer-

cised a very important influence upon the educational affairs

of the State. By the act of 1855, the Pennsylvania School

Journal was made the organ of the school department, and

one copy directed to be sent, at the expense of the State, to

each school district. In 1854 Mr. Burrowes prepared for

the State, descriptive matter for " Pennsylvania School

Architecture," a volume of 276 pages. After having written

all the imjoortant school bills that jDassed the Legislature

after 1836, he crowned this eminent service to the State in

1857, by drafting the Normal School law, which is regarded

by its friends as being unsurpassed by any legislation on this

subject, either in Europe or America. In February, 1858,

the subject of this notice had the honor of being elected

Maj'or of the city of Lancaster, the duties of which office he

discharged for one year. In 1860 he was again called upon

to administer the school system of the State ; and in 1861

was appointed by Governor Curtin Superintendent of Sol-

diers' Orphans' Schools, and established these institutions in

different parts of the State. In 1869 he was elected Presi-

dent of the Agricultural College, located in Centre county, a

position he held until his death. In the latter part of the year

1870 he sold and disposed of his interest in the Pennsylvania

School Journal, to J. P. Wickersham and J. P. McCaskey.

To Mr. Burrowes belongs, we think, fairly, the honor of

being entitled the father of the Pennsylvania Free School

System. He did more to place it upon a permanent basis

than any other citizen of the State, and the present shape

that it has been made to occupy is chiefly to be attributed

to his studious care and indefatigable management. Hewas also the author of the " Pennsylvania State Book," a

work of much research. Mr. Burrowes died March 25th,

1871.

BUYERS, John, a member of the Legislature in the

years 1825, 1826 and 1827.


c.

CALDWELL, Andeew*, was born in Scotland, and emi-

grated to tbis country prior to tbe year 1718. Heobtained a warrant for 285 acres of land, which lies on the

old Philadelphia road, near the line between Leacock and

Salisbury. He was united in marriage in the year 1718

with Ann Stewart. He was a worthy member of the Pres-

byterian church. It was partly owing to his exertions and

assistance that the old Presbyterian meeting-house was first

established at Pequea, about the year 1730. He departed

this life in the year 1752, and was buried at that place.

*CALDWELL, Andrew, his son, was born in the year

1722, and was joined in marriage with Isabella Andrews, in

the year 1747, and died in the year 176S.

*CALDWELL, Andrew, his grandson, was born in the

year 17-18, and in the year 1744 was united in marriage with

Ann Buyers, of Salisbury. He died in the year 1825, aged

77 years. His great grandsons, Andrew and William Cald-

well, of Salisbury, (who are now far advanced in years), still

hold the property. He built the first public house on the

old Philadelphia road, called the Hat Tavern, which is

standing as a private residence to the present day.

CALDWELL, Jajies A., was engaged in the slate quar-

rying business, at Peach Bottom. He was elected a mem-ber of the State Senate in the year 1887. The senatorial

district was at that time composed of the counties of Lancas-

ter and York.

CALDWELL, James, a citizen of Bart township, and a

member of the Legislature for the years 1819 and 1828.

*CALDWELL, Eev. David, D.D., son of Andrew and

Ann, Caldwell, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylva-

nia, in the year 1725. He studied with a Mr. Smith, some-

where in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, who kept a classi-

cal school, (and who was probably the father of the Rev.

Samuel Stanhojê Smith, D.D., afterwards President of the

*Coiiti-ibuted by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbuiy.

11


College of New Jersey) ; aud for tlie purpose of accomplish-

ing his object, in the pursuit of knowledge, and in order to

complete his studies, which he pursued with much avidity,

he relinquished to his younger brothers all claim to any share

in his father's estate, on condition that they would furnish

him the means to carry him through college, with which

proposition they readily complied.

In contemplating the character and tracing the progress

of any man who has filled a large share in the public eye,

and for a time swayed the destinies of millions, or whohas in a more silent and unobtrusive way exerted a salutary

and permanent influence over mankind, we feel some grati-

fication in knowing by what reasons he was led to pursue

the course which he did, or take any important step in that

direction; but in this case we are left to mere conjecture,

from which no certain conclusions can be drawn, nor any

confirmation of principles derived ; but it seems probable

that about this time he made a profession of religion. Hegraduated at the College of New Jersey, in the year 1761,

at the age of thirty -six years, and was ordained a minister

of the Gospel, at Princeton, the year following, and in the

year 1765 was appointed by the Presbytery of Philadelphia

to labor as a missionary in the churches of North Carolina,

including those of which he soon afterwards became pastor.

In visiting the counties lying between the Yadkin and

Catawba rivers, as well as in Guilford, he found many from

Lancaster county, whom he had known in his youth, and

while there he formed, or rather renewed, an acquaintance

with Eachel, the third daughter of the Eev. Alexander

Craighead, of Mecklenburg, whom he had known in her

childhood, in Lancaster county, and they were united in

marriage in the year 1766, which had an important bearing

on his comfort and usefulness through subsequent life, with

whom he lived until his death, and by whom he had eight

sons and one daughter, who lived to maturity, and survived

him, (besides three or four who died in their infancy), five

being born within the spsce of two years. During the

Revolutionary war, part of which time her husband had to

conceal himself to save his life, which had been imperiled


hy the sermons he had preached advocating the Eevolution

and encouraging the men of his congregations to volunteer

in the service of their country. His wife was turned out

of the house while it was occupied by British officers, and

her only habitation, with her infants, was an old smoke-

house, with nothing whatever to subsist upon except a few

dried apples and dried peaches, which were found among the

rubbish;and in this suffering condition she was treated with

great severity and indignity by the inferior officers, until

after the battle of Guilford Court-house.

He had been installed pastor of the churches at Buffalo

and Alamance, long before the war, and in that station helabored for about siixty years; and in the meantime helabored on his plantation, and ditched asid drained the

swamps and low lands on his farm with his own hands.

The people of his congregations, at the time of their organi-

zation, were mostly from his own county of Lancaster, andhad removed there before him ; many of them had knownhim from his childhood ; they had been taught at the same

school and worshipped at the same sanctuary.

A company had been formed in Lancaster and Chester

counties, called the Nottingham Company, which sent out

their agents and purchased a large area of land, in what is

now Guilford county, near the waters of Buifalo and EeedyFork; and when they were making their arrangements to

change their residence, (which was about the time he com-

menced his education), they made a conditional agreement

with him that, if Providence permitted, when he obtained

license to preach, he would come out and be their preacher.

In connection with the ministry, he established a classical

school, and being a thorough scholar himself, many of his

scholars became eminent as statesmen, lawyers, judges,

physicians and ministers of the Gospel ; five of his scholars

became Governors of different States, many more became

members of Congress, and more than forty ministers were

educated, in whole or in part, at his school, which served

the Carolina.s for many years both before and after the Revo-

lution, as an Academy, College and Theological Seminary.

He took an active and leading part in the great struggle for

12-i BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

American Independence, and had to undergo great hard-

ships, suifering and imprisonment, while the British army

was encamped on his plantation, under Cornwallis.

Among the many incidents which have been recorded of

this remarkable man, and the many anecdotes which have

been told concerning him, we may, perhaps, find room for

this one, for the purpose of illustrating the character of the

man, and which called for the exercise of his different quali-

ties. About the time that Cornwallis' army was at one side

of his place and General Greene's forces were passing on the

other side, two of the enemy came to the house of his brother,

Alf^xander Caldwell, (who was absent with Greene's army),

on a foraging excursion, in the evening about dusk ; the

one an officer and the other a common soldier, who com-

menced acting very rudely, seizing whatever they could

carry away, ordering their suppers, &c. Mrs. Alexander

Caldwell immediately sent over a messenger, requesting the

advice of the Rev. Doctor, who sent her back word that she

must treat them politely and furnish them the best supper

her house could afford, only she must be careful to take

notice where they put their guns, and set the table in the

other end of the house; and in the meantime, he would go

over and conceal himself behind a certain haystack. While

the men were in the other end of the house, demolish-

ing the viands on the table, without fearing any danger, he

went quietly into the other apartment, took up one of their

guns, which was loaded, and stepping to the door of the room

in which they were so comfortably employed, and present-

ing arms, told them at the same time that if they attempted

to resist or make their escape, that their lives would be for-

feited. As neither of them cared to die just at the time,

they surrendered at discretion, and he marched them over to

his own house, where he detained them over night, and in the

morning put them on their parole, by making them take a

solemn oath on the family Bible that they would not again

take up arms against the United States, nor in any way as-

sist the British or the Tories, which promise they kept hon-

orably, and returned to him on the day appointed. After

the war was over, he was chosen a member of the oonven-

OF LANCASTER COUXTT. 125

tion which adopted the Federal Constitution, and also a

member of the convention which framed the Constitution of

the State of North Carolina ; and when the Synod of the

Carolinas held its first meeting, which was held at Centre

church, in the year 1778, a committee was appointed, con-

sisting of five ministers and five elders, for the purpose of

addressing a circular letter to the churches under the care of

the Synod, and of this committee the Eev. Dr. Caldwell was

appointed chairman. He continued to preach in his congre-

gations until the year 1820, and lived until the 25th of

August, 1824, when he bid adieu to earth in the one hun-

dredth year of his age.

CAMERON, James, a brother of Simon Cameron, was

born in Maytown, Lancaster county. He was for a time a

partner in the Lycoming Gazette, and in the year 1829

obtained control of the Lancaster Sentinel. In 1839 he wasappointed Superintendent of Motive Power on the Columbia

Railroad, in room of Andrew Mehaffey. He was in 1843

appointed Deputy Attorney General of the Mayor's Court,

in room of S. Humes Porter, resigned. Through various and

successive steps, he worked his way in life from orphanage

and poverty up to distinction and position in society. Heheld the position of colonel in the late civil war, and waskilled at the first battle of Bull Run. A correspondent,

speaking of the repulse of the Union army at Bull Run says:

"Col. Cameron, who had repeatedly rallied his men, seemed

paralyzed at this new reverse ; he dropped his sword from

his hand and looked a moment at the retreating mass. Someof his men still fired, and when one of his lieutenants cameforward for orders about the wounded soldiers, he turned

suddenly towards him, faced the battery, and at the same

instant a minie bullet pierced his breast. He fell without

a groan. After his fall, the rout became complete, and

night saw the disheartened army in full retreat toward Fort

Corcoran.

CAMERON, Simon, was born :!Îarch 8th, 1799, at May-

town, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He traces his descent

on the paternal side, from the Camerons of Scotland, whoshared their fortunes with the unfortunate Charles Edward,


whose star of hope sunk on the field of Culloden. Donald

Cameron, his great grandfather, was a participant in that

memorable battle, and having escaped the carnage, made his

way to America, arriving about 1745-6. He afterwards

fought under the gallant Wolfe upon the heights of Abraham.

On his maternal side, Simon Cameron is descended from

Conrad Pfoutz, one of those sturdy German Protestants

whose faith no terrors could conquer. An exile from his

native land for conscience' sake, he sought the western wilds,

and was for a time the companion of that famed Indian

fighter, Capt. Samuel Brady, the history of whose life is morecaptivating than romance.

When the subject of our sketch was about nine years of

age, his parents removed from Lancaster to Northumberland

county, and his father dying soon after, he was early cast

upon his own exertions. Having an unquenchable fondness

for books, young Cameron was able to perceive no other

means so likely to satiate his apjietite as a printing office, it

seeming to him the chief centre of thought in the community

in which destiny had fixed his lot. He therefore entered,

in 1815, as an apprentice to the printing business in the

town of Sunbury, where he continued until 1817. His em-

ployer at this time proving unfortunate in a financial aspect,

his ofiice was closed, and our apprentice, now being out of

employment, was compelled to seek a situation elsewhere.

He accordingly made his way, on foot, to Harrisburg,

and after considerable disappointment was received as an

apprentice in the ofiice of James Peacock, of that place.

On attaining his majority he located at Doylestown, Penn-

sylvania, and in January, 1821, began the publication of the

Bucks County Messenger. As editor of this paper he evinced

a breadth of information which, in view of his limited advan-

tages, seemed astonishing. In March of the same year he

entered into partnership with the publisher of the Doylestown

Democrat, and the firm merged their papers into the Bucks

County Democrat, whose publication they continued till the

close of the year 1821, when the paper was sold to Gen. W.T. Eogei-s. Cameron started for Harrisburg, and again

obtained employment as a journeyman printer, and the fol-


lowing year we find him in the employ of Messrs. Gales &SeatOD, publishers of the National Intelligencer, at Washing-

ton, D. C.

In 1823 Simon Cameron returned to his native State, and

was married to Miss Brua, of Harrisburg. In the same

year he became one of the publishers of the Reporter, a

Democratic paper printed at Harrisburg. He was also

elected State printer, and received from Governor Shulze

the appointment of Adjutant General of Pennsylvania.

The poor printer was now become a man of mark. His

official and business connections introduced him to the lead-

ing men of the State, and he soon came to be recognized as

one of the shrewdest business men of the whole country.

His utilitarian character now unfolded itself, and shortly

afterwards he obtained a leading position in the financial

institutions with which he was connected."

He early became conspicuous in the public improvement

enterprises of the State ; and the projection of the Harrisburg,

Mt. Joy and Lancaster Eailroad, is the excogitation of his

brain. His energy and ability vastly contributed towards

the completion of this public enterprise. In recognition of

his efficiency in this particular, he was chosen President of

the road. The Lebanon Valley Eailroad was another mon-

ument of his sagacity and foresight. The Northern Central

Eailroad, from Harrisburg to Sunbury, was another of his

developed conceptions, which, with the Tide Water Canal

and other improvements, are sufficient to give him a front

rank amongst the useful and enterprising citizens of the

commonwealth.

In 1845, after the inauguration of James K. Polk, the

position of Secretary of State was tendered to James

Buchanan, then one of the United State Senators from Penn-

sylvania in Congress. A successor was to be chosen to

fill Buchanan's place in the Senate. Simon Cameron was

the man who, at this time, in recognized sympathy with the

Democratic party, was selected for this position as the repre-

sentative of the wing of the party which favored the policy

of a protective tariff George W. Woodward was, however,

the caucus nominee of the Democrats ; this party being at


the time strongly in the majority. The Whigs consented

to unite their strength upon Cameron, because of his knowntariiJ sympathies. By the union, therefore, of the Whigsand a part of the Democrats, the subject of our sketch was

elected to the United States Senate.

In 1857 General Cameron was again a candidate for the

United States Senate, and succeeded in being elected over

John W. Forney, then universally conceded as one of the

shrewdest Democratic politicians in Pennsylvania.

Upon the election of Abraham Lincoln, in the year 1860,

the distant sound of an api-roaching storm became instantly

audible in the southern horizon. As soon as the new Presi-

ident assumed the helm of state, on the 4th of March, 1861,

and began to look around him for those in whom he should

repose his counsels in the troubled state of the nation, he

tendered the port-folio of the war department to the subject

of our sketch. General Cameron became Secretary of Warat a period when all the signs of the times indicated an un-

precedented hurricane upon the American continent. It

came with the bombardment of Fort Siimpter, on the morn-

ing of the 12th of April, 1861, and immediately the bugle-

blasts of war arose, both North and South, and the period

which followed required of the War Secretary a coolness,

sagacity and vigor of will, that the exigencies of the iiation

had never before demanded. General Cameron at once

evinced his appreciation of the magnitude of the difiiculties

to be encountered, and showed a determination of resistance

that the crisis required. In accordance with his plans, an army

was soon organized, and the Northern States were placed upon

a military footing that amply shielded and assured the per-

petuity of the Federal Union. The position was, however, a

perplexing one for even the steadiest nerves, and our Secre-

tary retired from the post in January, 1862, and was ap-

pointed to the important diplomatic position of Minister to

Eussia.

In 1867 General Cameron was, for the third time, elected

to the United States Senate, a position he still continues to

fill.

As a politician. General Cameron ranks as one of the most

OP LANCASTER COUXTY. 129

shrewd and sagacious in the United States; and for years

has been recognized as exerting a powerful influence in the

political machinery of the nation. His devotion to his

friends know^s no bounds; and hence, in a great measure,

iiows his great strength as a leader in the workings of poli-

tics. From this cause is it that he has been able to attach

to his interests men of both political parties; and those en-

rolling themselves under his standard are not forgotten

when victory perches upon his banners.

CAEPENTER, Abeaham, was a citizen of Strasburg

township, and an influential and leading man of his time.

He was a fa.rmer. He was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1795, 1796 and 1797. Hewas elected a member of the State Senate in the year 1798.

He died March -Ith, 1815, in the 57th year of his age.

CARPEXTEK, Charles, was a member of the Legisla-

ture in the years 1842 and ISiS.

CARPENTER, Christian, was elected Sherifl: of Lan-

caster county in 1799. He was the father of William Car-

penter, late Prothonotary of the county, who was elected

in 1857. Wm. Carpenter has for many years been the lead-

ing scrivener and conveyancer of Lancaster city.

CARPENTER, Edttard, was born in Lancaster county,

and emigrated to the northwestern territory about the year

1800. In 1802 he was chosen a member of the Ohio Con-

vention that framed the State Constitution. Afterwards he

was appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of

Fairfield county, Ohio, and held this position for several

years. He filled many minor positions, and all with great

acceptability. He died March 20th, 1822, in the 79th year

of his age.

CARPENTER, Emanuel, was a member of the Legisla-

ture in the years 1755, 1756, 1757, 1758, 1759, 1760, 1761,

1762, 1763, 1764, 1765, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770 and

1771. He was for many years a Justice of the Peace, and

President of the Justices' County Court, a position* he held

up to his death, in 1780. He was the grandfather of

Emanuel C. Reigart. The following shows the manner in


whicli his public services were appreciated by his fellow-

citizens :

To Emanuel Carpenter, esq., late one of the Representatives in the As-aemily for the County of Lancaster :

Sir : The burgesses, assistants, &c., of the borough of Lancastermet this day, at the request of a number of the reputable inhabitants

of the borough, and being sensible of your services as one of the Repre-sentatives for the county of Lancaster in the General Assembly of the

Province, these seventeen years past, have directed that the thanks of

the corporation be ofiered to you, with the assurance of their approba-tion of your steady and uniform conduct in that station. And, as youhave declined serving your country in that capacity, I am charged to

mention, that it is the earnest wish of the inhabitants of Lancaster that

you may be continued in the commission of the peace and a judge in

our county, where you have so long presided, and deservedly acquired

and supported the character of an upright and impartial magistrate, &c.

By order of the Burgesses and Assistants.

[Signed, ] Casper Shaffner, Town Clerk.

Lancaster, October 3, 1772.

CARPENTER, Emanuel, jr., was a member of the Legis-

lature in the years 1777, 1780, 1784, 1785 and 1786.

CARPENTER, Henry, a Commissioner of Lancaster

county, elected in 1823.

CARPENTER, Dr. Henry, was a leading and prominent

physician of Lancaster county. He lived near Lampeter,

and established a large botanical garden, into which he in-

troduced a fine assortment of rare and costly plants that were

exotics in this section of country.

CARPENTER, Dr. Henry, was born December 10th,

1819, in Lancaster, in the same house he now occupies. His

father was named Henry, and he is the great grandson of

Heinrich Zimmerman (Carpenter), the first founder of the

numerous Carpenter family in Lancaster county. His edu-

cation was obtained in the select schools of the city, and

afterwards he went to the Lancaster County Academy. Heread medicine in the office of Dr. Samuel Humes, and began

the practice of medicine in March, 1841. He immediately

obtained a handsome practice in the profession. He was one

of the f(3unders of the Lancaster County Medical Society, in

1844, and its first Secretary, a position he held for several

years. In 1855 he was elected President of the Society.

J

OF LANCASTER COUXTY. 131

He has been Secretary and Yice President of the State

Medical Society, and is now one of the Board of Censors for

the Eastern district of Pennsjdvania. He wqs President of

the Select Branch of City Councils for nearly twenty years,

and has been an active and influential member of the Lan-

caster School Board for about sixteen years. For many years

he has served as one of the directors of the Lancaster Gas

Company, and also of the Lancaster County Insurance Com-

pany. He has, for a long time, been a director of the Cone-

stoga Steam Mills Company, and since their sale, in 1857,

one of the principal owners. He was one of the firm that

built No. 4 cotton mill. He was one of the originators of

the Conestoga Turnpike Company, and its President since

the organization.

He is one of the jjrincipal physicians of the city of Lan-

caster, and enjoys a large and very lucrative practice. Hewas the chosen physician of the late James Buchanan,

Thaddeus Stevens, Col. Reah Frazer, and others of our lead-

ing citizens.

CARPENTER, Jacob, a member of the Legislature for

"the years 1765, 1766, 1767, 1769, 1772 and 1781.

CARPENTER, Jacob, was elected three times Treasurer

of Pennsylvania. He was appointed January 13th, 1800,

by Governor McKean, Clerk of the Orphans' Court of Lan-

caster county. He died February 13th, 1803, in the 36th

year of his age.

CARPENTER, Joel, a member of the Legislature in the

years 1814 and 1815.

CARPENTER, Dr. John, also a leading physician of the

county. He lived near Earlville, and his services in his

professional line were sought for by persons from a great

distance. He lies buried in the old Carpenter graveyard,

near Earlville.

CARPENTER, Michael, son of Samuel Carpenter, was

born September 22nd, 1796, in Warwick township, Lancas-

ter county, Pennsylvania. He removed with his father to

Lancaster, in 1807, and learned the business of a turner.

Becoming involved in speculative enterprises in which he


met with heavy losses, he turned his attention to the writing

of deeds and other instruments of legal transactions ; in a

word, he became a scrivener. In this career he seemed to

have found the business for which he was best fitted ; and in

the year 18^3 he was elected Mayor of the city of Lancas-

ter, and by successive reelections continued to fill this oflBce

up to 1852.

In stature, unlike his father, he was not corpulent, but

rather of a spare build. He was of a feeble rather than of a

robust constitution. In disposition he was kind and gentle,

yet grave and serene in his demeanor. He was a man of

a high order of integrity and moral worth, and a devoted

and humble Christian. He was of industrious and steady

habits, and devoted himself sedulously and constantly to

business until overtaken by disease (pulmonary consump-

tion), which caused his death, August 5th, 1861.

CARPENTEE, Samuel, was born November 11th, 1765,

in Lancaster county Pennsylvania. He was brought up to

the business of agriculture, which he followed for manyyears, and up to April 1807, when he removed to Lancaster

for the purpose of having better opportunities for the edu--

cation of his children. Here he engaged for some years in

the business of inn-keeping ; Lancaster at the time being the

seat of the State government, and s. great resort for strangers

from all parts of the State. He was appointed an Alder-

man, and not long thereafter was elected Mayor of the city of

Lancaster, a position to which he was frequently reelected.

In appearance he was not tall, but of medium height and

quite corpulent. He made an excellent magistrate, being-

possessed of strong native sense, and a clear understanding

of right and wrong. 1-îs opinions of law were remarkably

accurate. In conversation he was affable and exceedingly

friendly, and he enjoyed the high esteem of all who knewhim.

CAETER, EiCHAED, was one of the early settlers of

Warwick township. He was a native of Warwickshire,

England, and emigrated to Lancaster county at an early day.

It was through his influence that Warwick township was

named in honor of his native county in England. He died


July 9tli, 1750, aged 81 years. He lies buried at the Union

Meeting House, in Warwick township.

CASSEL Family. The first family of Cassels emigrated

to this country, from Hesse Cassel, Germany, about the

year 1680, and settled at Germantown, near Philadelphia,

then a small town ; at this place the Mennonites, of which

the Cassel family were members, had a church and regular

preaching. An incident occurred about this period going to

show, in a very striking manner, the simplicity of the church

at this time.. A letter came from Europe to the Cassels that a

large legacy was left them by the death of a relative, amount-

ing to nearly a million of dollars, and that they should

send out and get the treasure. A church council was called

and the matter freely discussed, when it was decided by a

unanimous vote not to receive the money, as it would have

a tendency to make them proud. Simplicity of manner,

plainness of dress, frugality, honesty and economy were some

of the characteristics of this people. Abraham Cassel, with

an elder brother, heard that there was fine land in Lancaster

county, and about the j'ear 1750 these two emigrated to this

county and located near Sporting Hill, in Eapho township,

then a wild wilderness. Their fortune consisted of a good

axe, strong constiiition, and a firm and determined purpose.

Trees were soon felled to the ground, and a log house erected

on the banks of the Back run, where there was a good

meadow, well adapted for grazing and raising stock. Here

Abraham Cassel, the second, was born ; and on the 18th of

April, 1775, was married to Esther Weiss, and from this

union the following children were born : Henry Cassel,

March 12th, 1776; Maria Cassel, December 13th, 1779;

Abraham Cassel, December 11th, 1782.

Henry Cassel, the oldest son, located at Marietta, where

he was one of the leading men, and greatly instrumental in

building up that town. He was President of the old Marietta

Bank. He built the house now occupied by Mr. Watt, then

one of the most costly buildings in the county. He had three

children ; the youngest, A. N. Cassel, who was a member of

the Legislature in the years 1838 and 1839, and is now one

of the wealthiest and most honored citizens of Marietta.

134: BIOGKAPHICAL HISTOET

Maria, the second child, was married to a man namedKauffman, and located near Manheim, in Penn township;

they had two children. Abraham, the only son, has been

one of the leading c.en of the county for many years.

Abraham Cassel, the youngest of these three children,

owned and conducted a farm in Eapho township, the old

homestead. He was a man of very marked character, and a

sound and practical thinker. He served in several public

positions, and was a director of the poor of Lancaster county.

His family consisted of three sous and two daughters. Theoldest son, Dr. John H. Cassel, studied medicine with Dr.

Washington L. Atlee, and afterwards located at Pittsburg,

where he was highly respected. Emamiel Cassel, the second

son, is a farmer and resides near Mt. Joy, greatly esteemed byhis neighbors for his generosity and kindness of heart. The

only living daughter is Hetty Ann, married to John K. Barr.

They reside near Salunga. Jacob E. Cassel, the youngest

son, was born January 22nd, 1822. He was elected a mem-ber of the Legislature in October, 1859. Upon the break-

ing out of the rebellion he enlisted as a private in Ham-bright's 79th regiment, P. V., but arriving in camp, he was

appointed to the position of Quartermaster, which he held

up to October 9th, 1862, when he was captured by the

enemy. Upon his release, infirm health induced him to

retire from the army.

CASSIDY, Dk. Patrick, was born September 22d, 1810,

in Butler county, Ohio, where his early life was passed.

While a young man, he spent some time engaged in teach-

ing school. In 1835 he removed to the city of Lancaster,

and soon entered upon the practice of his pmfession. Helong maintained the rank of one of the most skillful physi-

cians of the county of Lancaster. During all his lifetime he

was a student, and ever awake to all discoveries and im-

provement in the science of medicine. He kept himself in-

formed as to the invention of new surgical instruments as

they made their appearance, or to any new method of treat-

ing disease which promised more effectually to relieve suffer-

ing or preserve life, thus proving a true physician instead of

a mere fossil in the profession. " The older I grow," he once.


remarked, " the less medicine I prescribe. I have long made

it the careful rule of my practice, to give absolutely as little

medicine as possible."

Dr. Cassidy was one of the most efficient and active mem-

bers of the School Board of Lancaster city, and he spent

considerable sums of money in the purchase of books on

the art and science of teaching. He labored in this sphere

out of an abiding love for the system of popular education.

He was the Eepublican candidate for Mnyor of the city of

Lancaster, in 1862 and 1863, but owing to the popularity of

his competitor, was defeated. He died in the year 1864.

CHAMBEES, Stephen, was a leading lawyer in his day,

and was admitted to the bar in 1780. He was a delegate to

the convention in 1787, which ratified, on the part of Penn-

sylvania, the Federal Constitution. He was killed in a duel

which he fought with Dr. Eeger.

CHAMPNEYS, Benjamin, was born in Cumberland

county, in New Jersey. His ancestors came up the Dela-

ware before Penn's Charter, with John Fenwick, the grantee

of the province of West New Jersey, and landed at Salem.

One of these ancestors, Edward Champneys, was Fenwick's

son-in-law, and aided William Penn in establishing a proper

and just government, and was instrumental in settling a

controversy between the proprietary and Byllinge, who had

a large interest in the lands of the province. The father of

Benjamin Champneys, an only son, spent his early life and

was educated in Philadelphia, graduated at the University,

and sailed from that port in the "Philadelphia" as a surgeon

under Commodore Stephen Decatur.

The subject of this notice was placed under a tutor at nine

years of age, and remained under instruction for several

years ; subsequently, he entered the Sophomore class at

Princeton, where he remained till the decease of his father.

He then entered the office of Chief Justice Ewing, of NewJersey, and remained there for six months ; and at the sug-

gestion of his guardian. Colonel Potter, of Philadelphia, he

removed to Lancaster. He became a law student of George

B. Porter, esq., and, after three years of study, was admitted to

the bar. He soon established himself in his profession and


secured for himself a lucrative practice. In the autumn of

1825 he was nominated by the Democratic party and elected

a member of the House of Representatives. He vtâs again

elected in the year 1828, and discharged the duties of both

sessions with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his

constituents.

In 1839 he was appointed by Governor Porter, President

Judge of the Courts of Lancaster county, and discharged the

duties of this office for three years and a half. While yet

judge, he was nominated hy the Democratic Convention of

Lancaster county for the office of State Senator, and there-

upon tendered his resignation of the President Judgeship, to

take effect before the election. He was elected Senator in.

184:2, and served the usual term of three years. Before the

expiration of his Senatorial term, he was appointed Attorney

General of the Commonwealth, by Governor Shunk, and

held this office until the decease of the Governor.

Benjamin Champneys acted with the Democratic party up

to the breaking out of the Southern rebellion, when he

ranged himself on the side of those who favored a vigorous

prosecution of the war for the suppression of the rebellion,

and thus became identified with the Republican party, with

which he afterwards acted. In 1862 he was nominated

by the Republican party and elected to the House of

Representatives, and in 1863 was nominated and elected to

to the State Senate. He discharged the duties of these posi-

tions with a conscientious regard for what, in his opinion,

duty required of him. Since the termination of his official

career as a State Senator, he was engaged in no active

business,

Benjamin Champneys long ranked as one of the leading

lawyers of the Lancaster bar, and for many years the amount

of legal business transacted by him was, perhaps, surpassed

by no member of the bar in the county. He, indeed, ranked

amongst the ablest of his profession in Pennsylvania. Hedied August 9th, 1871, aged 71 years.

CLARK, Brice, a native of the county of Derry, Ireland,

emigrated to America and first settled in New Castle, Dela-

ware. He moved thence to Leacock, Lancaster county, and


afterwards to East Donegal. He was elected a member of

the Legislature in the year 1794:. He died in 1819.

CLARK, Robert, a member of the Legislature in the

year 1784.

CLARK, Thomas, an Associate Judge of Lancaster county,

appointed in 1813.

CLARKSON, Rev. Joseph, was born in Philadelphia,

and was the son of Dr. Gerardus Clarkson, a prominent

physician of that city, and an influential member of the

Protestant Episcopal Church. During the early part of the

revolutionary war Mr. Clarkson attended a classical school,

then of great repute, kept by Dr. Robert Smith, a Presbyterian

clergyman, in Lancaster county. Pa. He graduated at the

University of Pennsylvania in 1782, and received the degree

of Master of Arts from the College of New Jersey, 1785.

Having studied for the ministry he was admitted to Dea-

con's Orders in 1789, being the lirst ordained by. Bishop

White after his return from England, whither he had gone

for consecration. During that year he acted as Secretary to

the House of Bishops and began his ministry in Philadelphia,

removing thence in about three years to Wilmington, Dela-

ware, where he officiated in the Old Swede's Church until

1799. In April of that year he accepted a call to St. James'

Church, Lancaster, Pa., where he remained until the time of

his death, January 25, 1830. He was a man well beloved by

his parishioners, and had during his long life a very peaceful

ministry. His remains lie in St. James' churchyard.

*CLEMSON FAMI LY. The Clemson family were amongst

the most worthy pioneers who opened up the wilderness

north of the Gap mountain and the valley of the Pequea,

(now Salisbury township), and they were also among the most

eminent members of the Society of Friends, at the time that

the old Sadsbury meeting was first established, in the year

1724.

James Clemson, the first, emigrated from Birmingham,

England, near the close of the seventeenth century, having

embraced the doctrines of the Friends. He purchased 636

acres of land in the valley of the Pequea, on which ho

Contributed by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbury.

12


settled. His warrant bears date the ISth of May, 1716.

He left three sons and three daughters, viz : James, Johnand Thomas ; Hannah, (married to Joseph Haynes), Mary,(married to Henry Gest), and Eebecca Clemson. He died in

the year 1730, and his lands were divided among his sons.

James Clemson, the second, purchased 200 acres of his

father's tract, from his brothers and sisters, in the year 1731,

on which he erected a three-storied stone dwelling houselately occupied by his great great grandson, Davis Clemson,

now deceased, and which is the oldest residence now stand-

ing in Salisbury township. He was for many years a public

speaker and a worthy member of society, and his name fre-

quently appears on the records of Sadsbury meeting. In the

year 1740 James Clemson and Anthony Shaw were appointed

representatives from Sadsbury, to represent that monthlymeeting in the quarterly meeting of Friends, at Old Chester.

His son, James Clemson, the third, was born in Lancaster

county, in the year 1727, and in 1749 was joined in marriage

with Margaret, daughter of Stephen Heard, of Sadsbury.

He was an early advocate of American independence, and wascommissioned a Justice of the Peace before the Eevolution.

He was elected a delegate to a general county convention

in the year 1774, to take into consideration the resolves of

the Centinental Congress, and the question being put, for or

against resistance to British tyrann}', James Clemson, John

Whitehill, of Leacock, and Eobert Bailey, of Sadsbury,

voted in the affirmative. On the 5th of January, 1775, he

was elected to represent Lancaster county in the Provincial

Convention, at Philadelphia. He was also appointed on the

committee of observation and inspection for Lancaster, for

the year 1775.*

He was a member of the Legislature of Pennsylvania in

the years 1777, 1778 and 1779. He was appointed and

commissioned a Justice of the Peace and of the CommonPleas, in and for the county of Lancaster, upon a return

made according to law, from the district composed of the

townships of Sadsbury and Salisbury, in said county, in 1790.

He had two sons, James and John, and seven daughters, all

*Rupp's History of Lancaster county, pp. 384 and 389.

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 13^

of whom were intermarried into the most wealthy and

respectable families of the county. His son, James Clem-

son, the fourth, served for many years as Justice of the

Peace in Salisbury ; also, his grandson, the late well-known

and highly respected James Clemson, esq., the fifth, served

in the same capacity. It was an old saying, that " the

Clemsons always keep one squire in the family." His great

grandson, James Clemson, the sixth, is now an extensive

cattle dealer in the city of Philadelphia, and his descendants

in the county are both numerous and respectable, and

among their number we find the McCauleys, the McCaus-

lands, the Samples, the Skiles', the Ellmakere, the Hender-

sons, the Buckleys, the Watsons, of Donegal; the Pattersons,

of Mount Joy; the McNeils, and the Buyers, of Salisbury;

Isaac Atlee, the son of Col. Atlee ; the Whitehills, the Bakers,

and many of the most respectable families in Lancaster and

Chester counties. Thomas Clemson (or William), the grand-

son of John Clemson, (and brother of the Eev. Baker

Clemson), was an eminent chemist, and was married to

a daughter of the distinguished statesman John C. Calhoun, of

South Carolina. Davis Clemson, the grandson of Judge Clem-

son, until his death occupied the old homestead, which was

erected by his great great grandfather, about the year 1735.

CLINTON, Joseph, was born February 18th, 1800, in

Lampeter township, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. His

father was of English descent, and his mother of German.

His education was very limited indeed, he having picked upby degrees all the information by means of which he has

been enabled to pass through life. He first learned the hat-

ting business in Lancaster, and worked at the same for near

forty years. During part of this time he lived at New Hol-

land and thence moved to Blizabethtown, Lancaster county^

Pennsylvania. On the 20th of December, 1824, he married

Parmelia, daughter of John and Margaret Diffenderfi'er, of

New Holland. In the fall of 1854 he was elected to the

ofBce of Clerk of the Orphans' Court, and discharged the

duties of the same for three years. He was, in 1850, ap-

pointed Deputy Marshal for taking the census of part of

Lancaster county.


COCHRAN, Richard E., M. D., was born at BohemiaManor, near Middletown, New Castle county, Delaware, on

the 9th day of September, A. D. 1785. His father, de-

scended of Scotch-Irish stock from the north of Ireland, was

a farmer and land-owner in comfortable circumstances. Theson, after passing his earlier years engaged in agricultural

pursuits on his father's farm, obtained an education, includ-

ing an acquaintance with the Latin and Greek languages, at

an academy at Newark, Delaware ; and choosing the medi-

cal profession as his pursuit in life, took his degree as doctor

of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, from a board

of professors, including Rush, Wistar, Dorsey, Physick and

other distinguished men, in the year 1810 or 1811. Hecommenced practice at Middletown, Delaware ; but having

married in May, 1812, moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in

1813, and there engaged in mercantile pursuits, during the

then pending war with Great Britain, during which he vol-

unteered in the military service on the approach of the foe.

In 1817, after his father's death, he became the owner of part

of his landed estate, and removed to his place, called Somer-

ton, near Middletown, where he resumed and continued the

practice of his profession until May, 1824. In the meantime

he took an active part in political life, on the side of the old

Democratic party, and besides other mere local positions,

was twice, in the years 1822 and 1823, elected a member of

the House of Representatives of his native State. In May,

1824, he removed with his family to Columbia, Lancaster

county, and there continued in an almost unbroken prosecu-

tion of professional labor during the remainder of his life.

In 1836 he was nominated and elected a Representative del-

egate from the county, to the convention called to propose

amendments to the constitution of the State, and attended

the sessions of that body at Harrisburg and Philadelphia in

1837-38. Besides other duties, he discharged those of chair-

man of the committee to revise and adjust the several sec-

tions of the constitution after the amendments had been

agreed upon. His life was closed on the 1st day of Septem-

ber, 1854, when he had nearly attained the 68th year of his

age, by an attack of the disease called Asiatic Cholera, which


at the time raged in that borough, and of which he was one

of the earliest victims, as he had visited professionally and

with characteristic fearlessness and devotion the first suffer-

ers. He was a ruling elder, and in that character attended

many of the judicatories of the Presbyterian church, whose

communion he had joined before he left his native State, and

remained in until death.

COCHRAN, Lieutenant Richard E., Jr.; was the third

son of Richard E. Cochran, M. D., and was born on the 16th

day of November, 1817, at Somerton, New Castle county,

Delaware. His boyhood and youth passed quietly, and in

atttendance upon school in his father's family, in Delaware,

and after his removal at Columbia, until the year 1838, when

he sought and obtained a commission as Second Lieutenant

in the army of the United States, and was assigned to the

fourth regiment of infantry. In this service he was ordered

first to Florida, and afterwards to the western border in

Arkansas, and the territory partly now within the State of

Kansas, and among the Indian tribes. , When the war with

Mexico commenced, in 1846, he joined with his regiment the

forces under the command of General Zachary Taylor, in

Texas. On their march to the Rio Grande, he took part in

the battle at Palo Alto, on the 8th of May, 1846, and was

slain the next day in the battle of Resaca de la Palma,

sword in hand entering the captured -entrenchments of the

defeated Mexicans. His body was first interred near the

scene of his death, but was afterwards brought home by his

father and brothers, and placed for final interment in the

cemetery at Columbia, attended by a large military and

civic procession. A monument was erected over his grave

by the citizens of the town, who honored his patriotism and

courage, and remembered his kind and genial conduct and

disposition while his early years were passed in their midst.

He was married and left a widow and daughter to survive him,

COCHRAN, Theodore D., was the fourth son of Richard

E. Cochran, M. D., and was born at Somerton, Delaware, on

the 18th day of January, 1821. Brought by his father to

Columbia, he passed his boyhood and youth there, going to

school and obtaining a knowledge of the art of printing.


In 1840 be became and. continued to be for some time, the

editor of tbe Old Guard, then published at Lancaster, and

then and afterwards wrote largely for the newspaper press,

especially the Columbia Spy and York Bejmblican. > In 1847,

the country being then engaged in war with Mexico, he en-

tered the military service and received a commission as

Lieutenant in the regular line, being attached to the regi-

ment known as Voltiguers. He marched from Vera Cruz

in the force commanded by General Cadwallader, taking

part in all its contests and in the subsequent battles around

Mexico, conspicuously those of Molino del Rey and Chapul-

tepec. He remained there in the service until the forces of

the United States were withdrawn from Mexico at the declar-

ation of peace, and the regiment was disbanded. Previously

to that time, his fellow citizens of Lancaster county elected'

bim one of their representatives in the State Legislature, in

which he served them during the sessions of 1844 and 1845.

He was residing at York when the Southern rebellion broke

out in 1861, and, although still suifering from the effects of

hurts and disease incurred in the Mexican war, he com-

menced at an early day to raise a company, which he com-

manded in a three months tour of duty, and after its close

took a commission in a regiment of regular forces, but was

compelled by ill health to retire from the service. After a

lingering and painful illness he died at the residence of his

oldest brother, Thomas E. Cochran, at York, on the 26th day

of July, 1863, and his body "is interred in Prospect Hill

Cemetery, adjoining that borough.

COLEMAN, Edward, son of Robert Coleman, was one

of the wealthiest and most enterprising citizens of Lancaster

in his day, and it was chiefly owing to his enterprise that the

Conestoga navigation was made a success. He stood high

amongst his fellow citizens, and was honored with numerous

public trusts. He was elected a member 'of the Legislature

in the years 1818 and 1819. In 1820 he was chosen to a seat

in the State Senate of Pennsylvania, and reelected to a

second term in the same body. A public dinner was given

him by the citizens in 1827, before his departure for Europe

in that year.


COLEMAN, Robert, emigrated from Ireland and came to

Lancaster county, and found employment with Peter Grubb,

the proprietor of Hopewell forge. The following incident in-

troduced him, as the story goes, to Grubb's favorable notice :

One of his fellow employees desiring an order to be written,

asked Coleman to write it, and when Grubb saw the order

he inquired who wrote it, and being told that it was a manby the name of Coleman, he immediately sent for him and

ordered him to be entered as his book-keeper at £100 per

year, Pennsylvania currency. Afterwards, when the Eliza-

beth furnace was sold as the property of Baron Steigel, and

was carried on by a company, Coleman was employed as its

manager. It was not long till he obtained a share in the

furnace, and finally came to possess the whole interest of the

same. He became in short, by his energy and perseverance,

the most successful iron-master in Lancaster county; and to

untiring industry and judicious management, he united the

utmost probity and regularity in his dealings. To him is

Lancaster county chiefly indebted for the celebrity it ac-

quired from the number and magnitude of its iron works

and the excellence of its manufacture. He married a daugh-

ter of Eobert Old. He was elected a member of the Legisla-

ture in 1783, and was one of the associate judges of Lancas-

ter county for about 20 years.

COATES, IvEBSEY, son of Lindley Coates, was for some

time a teacher in the Lancaster high school, afterwards

studied law with Hon. Thaddeus Stevens. He moved west

about 1856, was Colonel of the 77th regiment of Missouri

militia during the rebellion, and was afterwards elected

President of the jNFissouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf Rail-

road. He now resides in Kansas City, Missouri.

COATES, LiXDLEY, was born in Cain township, Chester

county. Pa., March 3d, 179i. He married Deborah Sim-

mons, and removed to Sadsbury township, Lancaster county,

in the spring of 1820. Lindley Coates was one of nature's

noblemen. He was possessed of remarkable natural talents,

was an able debater, and a bold and fearless advocate in the

caiise of the emancipation of the Southern slaves. He was

appointed a manager for Lancaster county at the first organi-


zation of the Anti-slavery Society, in Philadelphia, Decem-

ber 5th, 1833. He was chosen a member of the Keform

Convention of Pennsylvania which was held in 1838. Hedied June 3d, 1856.

COLLINS, Cornelius, one of the early setlers of Cole-

rain township, emigrated from Ireland, and took up land in

both Colerain and Drumore townships. He was a farmer

and a member of the Associate Eeformed Church.

COLLINS, Cornelius, son of James Collins, was born

July 14th, 1795. He has always been engaged in the avoca-

tion of his forefathers, that of agriculture. He was a Direc-

tor of the Poor during the years 1^31, 1832 and 1833. Hehas been an elder and trustee of the Middle Octoraro church

for upwards of forty-five years. He was, without any solici-

tation on his part, elected to the Legislature in 1836, and

reelected in 1837 as a member of the old Whig party. Hehas never been an aspirant for public positions.

Mr. Collins belonged to the old style of politicians, being

nominated as a candidate for the Legislature whilst follow-

ing his plow. He is in his sentiments entirely liberal

and charitable, and has never been known to attempt to dic-

tate to men under his control for whom they shall vote. Healways permits men to exercise their own judgment. As a

man he is honest and upright, and has ever maintained an

irreproachable reputation.

COLLINS, James, son of Cornelius Collins, was born in

Colerain township, and was for a time a private in the

American army during the Eevolution. He was an intelli-

gent, enterprising and influential citizen, and an elder of the

Associate Eeformed Church, at Octoraro.

COLLINS, Oeestes, appointed President Judge of the

several courts of Lancaster county, in 1836.

COLLINS, Thomas C, also son of James Collins, is a

farmer and an active and influential man in his locality. Hewas elected County Auditor, and was, in 1863, elected one

of the Commissioners of Lancaster county.

'COPE, Caleb, was born in Chester county. Pa., in the

'Major Andre (then Captain Andre) was captured at St. John's,

Upper Canada, on the 3d of November, 1775, by General Montgomery,


year 1736, and removed when a young man to the borough

of Lancaster, where he became an influential and leading

citizen. He was one of the first surveyors and regulators

of the streets appointed for the borough of Lancaster, in

1774. In September of the same year he was elected second

Burgess of the borough, and reelected to the same position

in the year 1775. He died in Philadelphia, May 30th, 1824.

CONYNGHAM, Redmond, was a native of the city of

Philadelphia, and was a graduate of Princeton College, NewJersey. He inheritedfrom his paternal grandfather an estate

of £2,000 per annum, in the county of Donegal, Ireland,

where he spent several years of his early life. Whilst in

Ireland he was the companion of Curran, Grattan, and

other bright intellects of Hibernian soil. Amongst the most

and with other British officers sent to Lancaster, Pa., as a prisoner of

war. Caleb Cope, being a member of the Society of Friends, a non-

combatant, was not of those wlio were fierce in their resistance to the

pretensions of the British Crown. PubUc feeling being greatly inflamed

against the prisoners, and the landlords of the borough refusing to

entertain them, Mr. Cope extended the prisoners the hospitalities of his

house. This act required no small degree of moral courage upon the

part of Mr. Cope ; and, as a consequence, so embittered the citizens

against him that they beat in the windows of his dwelling, which, in

the disturbance, accidentaDy caught fire and was biu-ued. In after years

the citizens of Lancaster liberally assisted the unfortunate owner in the

reerection of his dwelling.

Major Andre was a skillful painter, and had a great taste for the tine

arts. His maimers were gentlemanly, and his education and accom-

plishments procured him admittance to the social gatherings of the elite

of Lancaster of that day. Under his instructions the celebrated Dr.

Benjamin S. Bai-ton, then a youth, received his first lessons in the art of

sketching, and he became no mean di-anghtsman. His descendants yet

preserve specimens of Andr-e's skill, some of which are of singular merit.

One of Mr. Cope's sons had a strong natural taste for painting, and he

soon became a favorite of Andi'e's ; so much so that he con.stantly

pressed the father to place the lad in his charge, and suffer him to be

brought up to the art. On one occasion he urged that he was anxious

to go back to England, but could not do so without a reasonable excuse

for quitting the army ; that he had now an otter to purchase his com-mission ; and that with this boy to look after, a fair pretext for returning

home would be aftbrded. But the father was inflexible, and in March,

1776, the master and pupil were separated, the foi-mer being sent to

Carlisle. A correspondence was, however, kept up between Mr. Cope

and himself for some time.

—

Record of the Cope Family, pp. 32-3. Life

of Andre, by Sergeant, p. 89.


"brilliant of these was his cousin, Wm. Conyngham Plunket,

afterwards Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and who was namedafter Mr. Conyngham's grandfather.

Mr. Conyngham lived some years in Luzerne county,

anft whilst a citizen of that county had the honor to repre-

sent it for some time in the Legislature. He removed to

Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he spent the balance

of his days. He was married to a daughter of Jasper

Yeates, Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Hedied June 16th, 1846, in the 65th year of his age.

Mr. Conyngham was a great reader, a finished scholar,

and evinced an especial fondness for antiquarian research

;

his contributions to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania,

and to the American Philosophical Society, of both of which

he was a member, rank him as an explorer of no ordi-

nary measure. His papers are valuable contributions to

the historical and philosophical domain of our literature.

He wrote much on the early history of Pennsylvania, and

the aborigines of Laacaster county. His death was an-

nounced in the rooms of the American Philosophical Society

by Bishop Potter, who pronounced an eloquent eulogium

upon the deceased, and a "resolution was passed requesting

the Bishop, at a future day, to deliver an address before

them on his life and character.

In his deportment Mr. Conyngham was an entire gentle-

man, and exceedingly interesting and entertaining as a social

companion. He was the warm friend of all public enter-

prises looking towards the melioration and advancement of

society. In worthy young men he always took great

interest, and especially in those preparing themselves for

the christian ministry. He was a great friend of Sabbath

schools. As a member of the Protestant Episcopal church,

he was frequently a lay delegate to its Diocesan conven-

tions. The church in Paradise, this county, is in a good

degree a monument of his liberality and zeal.

Mrs. Elizabeth Conyngham, wife of the above, and a

lady of great benevolence, survived her husband many years.

She died August 3rd, 1867, at the advanced age of 90 years.

COOKE, Samuel, a member of the Legislature in the years


1801, 1802 and 1803. He was a citizen of Donegal town-

ship, and died March 6th, 1801:. He was an early aboli-

tionist, as the following from his will indicates: "/tem—Hav-

ing hired out my black man Bob to Samuel Evans, it is mywill that immediately on the expiration of the term for which

he is hired, he, the said Bob, shall be set free. Item—It is

my will that within one,month after my decease, my negro

Tim shall be set free. And likewise it is my will that mynegroes and slaves not yet 24 years of age, shall upon their

and each of their attaining to that age be set free."

COWDBN, James, was a member of the Legislature in

1780.

COWDEN, James B., was a member of the Legislature in

1853.

*COOPE R, Calvin, emigrated from Birmingham, England,

about the year 1730, and located in Sadsbury townshijj. Hepurchased the land from Thomas Moore, on which the town

of Christiana^ is built, in the year 1734, (being a part of the

^Christiana Riot Case.—In September, 1851, -was enacted within the

limits of Lancaster county a tragedy tliat attained a national celebritj';

and this owing to the antagonistic sentiments that prevailed through-

out the country on the subject of African slavery, as it existed in the

southern section of the American Union. At the time of the formation

of the constitution, in 178 r, slavery existed in aU the States of the Con-federation, save one ; and yet so considerable an opposition displayed

itself towards the institution, that a compromise of conflicting ojînions

on this question was found necessary in order to induce all the States

that had borne the banner of independence through the revolution, to

adopt the ^Federal Union. This compromise was effected, and slavery

was pemiitted to exist in the several States, subject to their laws ; andthe Northern States, soon enacted laws for the manumission of the slaves

within their borders. Slave labor in the Southern States being con-

sidered profitable, especially with the increasing demand for cotton,

these States clung to an institution that swelled the coffers of the

wealthy and afforded them all the pleasures that life could covet. TheSouthern States became, therefore, the advocates of slavery, and the

Northern, its opponents.

With the growth of the United States, and the march of liberal ideas

throughout the civilized world, the opposition to slavery continued to

increase in the Northern States, and at the time of the admission of

Missouri into the Union, so intense became the feeling that was en-

gendered between the two sections, that another compromise was needed

to prevent the disi-uption of the Federal bonds of nationality. Appa-



land confirmed to Philip Powell in the year 1702), and the

following year, 1735, he erected a fulling mill on the Octo-

raro, between Christiana and the residence of Cyrus Brinton.

The machinery for the mill he brought with him from Eng-

rent harmony between tlie North and South again unfurled its standard

over the broad domain of the American Union ; but the seeds of oppo-

sition to the institution of slavery were ali'eady sown and germinated,

and time alone was required to produce the fruit. The efforts that hadbeen made by Clarkson and his compeers in England, to induce the

British govenmient to put an end to the slave trade, had the efi'ect to

arouse the public mind of the educated world to the enormities andabuses of an institution that, in its best guise, had a revolting aspect.

The British government emancipated, in the year 1834, their slaves in

the West India Colonies, and this event sent its effect across the waters,

and speedily numerous societies were organized, whose object was the

suppression of slavery in the American Union.

Among the foremost (if not the very first), who arrayed themselves

against the institution of slavery, were the Quakers, a pious and esti-

mable class of Christians, whose virtues adorn the annals of history.

The founder of our State^ WiUiam Penn, in common with many other

members of his society, was led to beUeve that the holding of humanbeings in slavery was sinful, and in his will he emancipated aU his slaves,

and to some of them he gave tracts of laud in addition to their freedom.

As early as 1688 a company of German Quakers emigrated from the

fatherland, settled at Germantown and took a decided stand against

slavery. They revolted at the idea of good men buying and selling

human flesh, as it were. Faithful to theii' convictions, they published

an address to the society in the same year, and from that time forth

these devoted followers of William Ames, their leader, who came over

with them from the Palatinate, bore an uncompromising testimony

against slavery. The subject was annually agitated in the society, and

gradually gained strength until the year 17.54, when we find BenjaminLay, Anthony Benezet, .John Woolman and Ralph Sandiford laboring

in the work of emancipation, the last of whom freed his slaves in the

year 1733. In the year 1774 it was made a breach of the discipUne and

a dishonorable offence for members to hold slaves. It was also counseled

against hii-iug slaves or serving as executors or administrators to estates

in possession of slaves. Thus early do we find this body of Christians

(the Quakers) far in advance of others in their opposition to humanslavery.

Upon the organization of the anti-slavery societies throughout the

northern States, it was to be expected that the Quakers should figure

prominently in these efforts to abolish slavery. All that the Quakers

and the other anti-slavery organizations could effect, was to keep up anagitation of the slavery question, and thus endeavor to educate the

public conscience up to their principles. In this they were iu a very

great degree successful. Their opinions entered others of the American


land. In the year 1746 he purchased a large tract of land

in the valley, from James Musgrove, being part of the land

which had been sold by the Proprietaries' commissioners of

property, to John, the father of James Musgrove, in the year

churches, and divisions of the same followed, marked by the Mason and

Dixon boundary. The American Union, in the eyes of many of the

leading statesmen of the nation, was again rocking in the throes of

disunion or civU convulsion, and another compromise, headed by Clay

and Webster, was sanctioned by the national Congress, in 1850, which

made it the duty of the Northern States to surrender fugitive slaves to

masters where the proper legal demand was made for tliem. Against

the compromise of 1850, and especially against the fugitive slave

law, the northern conscience at length fully revolted. Slavery being

regarded as a sin by a large portion of the inteUigent citizens of the

Nortli, that they should be compelled to render aid in capturing the

fleeing fugitive from labor, was altogether incompatible with their sense

of duty. In their view they would rather bear the penalty of the law

than aid in its execution. No law could justly, as they believed, compel

them to violate conscience.

In no section of the whole North was there a more determined feeling

of opposition or disinclination to the execution of the fugitive slave

law, than in the eastern part of Lancaster county, where the citizens

were mostly either Quakers or their descendants. For years fugitive

slaves had found amongst the people of Sadsbury and Salisbury town-

ships kind treatment, aud quite a colonj' of them had become cougrega--

ted and settled in the vicinity of Christiana. It was natm-al to suppose

that the fleeing fugitive would direct his steps to a retreat amongst the

friends of his Uberty, rather than amongst those who were ready to

surrender him for pelf or out of hatred towards his race.

Some of the slaves of Edward Gorsuch, of Mai-yland, had made their

escape to the eastern part of Lancaster county, andwere living amongst

others of their race in that section. On the 9th of September, 1851,

Edward D. Ingraham, Commissioner of the United States, issued his

warrant to Henry H. KUne, an oifioer appointed by him under the fugi-

tive slave law of the 13th of September, 1850. The warrant so issued,

commanded the officer to apprehend Josh Hammond and three other

fugitive slaves, the property of Edward Gorsuch, and which slaves hadescaped from Maryland, and were then in Lancaster county. The fact

of the issuing of the said writ became known to a colored tavern-keeper in

Philadelphia, by the name of Samuel WUliams, who, with another

colored-man, preceded the official party to the neighborhood where the

slaves resided, and where the arrests were to have been made, and gave

notice that they were coming to execute the writs and reclaim the fugi-

tive property.

The capturing party consisted of Deputy Marshal KUne, EdwardGorsuch, the owner of the fugitive slaves, Dickinson, a son of Mr. Gor-

such, Dr." Thomas Pearce, a nephew, and Joshua Gorsuch, besides two


1713. The citizens of Sadsbury having petitioned for a

division of the township in 17-13, the Court appointed Calvin

Cooper, George Leonard, sr., James Wilson, Samuel Ea"msey,

Robert Wilson and James Miller, to divide the same. The

neighbors of Edward Gorsuch, all of whom came to assist in makingcaptui'e of the fugitives. They started from . Philadelphia for the place

where the fugitives were believed to be living, as soon as the warrant

was issued, and taking different modes of conveyance. The party arrived

at Christiana early on the morning of September 11th, and having se-

cured the sei-vice of one acquainted with the locality, set out on hunt of

the fugitives, and when they had neared a house kept by a negro namedParker, about three mOes from Christiana, they espied one of the slaYes

coming down the lane from Parker's house. As soon as the slave saw

them he retreated and fled to the house, pursued by the party, but he

succeeded in eluding their gi'asp. From the information that had been

given by the negi'o, Williams, it was soon perceived that the negroes of

the neighborhood_ were upou the lookout, and as the party was approach-

ing the house, a horn was distinctly heard, as a supijosed signal for the

assembling of the negroes. The slave that had been flrst seen made his

way up stairs, and the party in search of him immediately surrounded

the house, so as to prevent escape. Edward Gorsuch, the owner of the

fugitive, and the Deputy Marshal, now entered the house, and de-

manded of the blacks that they surrender, which they refused, aud began

loading their guns, showing the utmo-t detei-mination of resistance.

Mr. Gorsuch told them if they would come down and suiTender them-

selves, he would overlook the past ; but the reply came from the negroes

that '' they could ouly be takeu over their dead bodies. '

' The Marshal

read his warrant, and was proceeding to ascend the stairs when he wasstruck by a sharp instrument aud compelled to desist from this attempt.

He read his warrant the second and third time, and advised the negroes

of the peril of resisting the authority of the government, and gave them

fifteen minutes time to consider whether or not they would surrender.

Edward Gorsuch had in the meantime stepped outside of the house

and called to his slave, and endeavored to persuade him to suiTender

himself and submit peaceably to his authority, and while doing so wasshot at by one of the negroes Irom a window, but the shot failed to take

effect, the aim being too high.

During this period, two white men, named Castner Hanway aud

Elijah Lewis, suddenly appeared upon the ground. This was seen to

have the effect of inspiring enthusiasm into the negroes in the house,

who immediately set up a cheering. By this time a large number of

negroes had made their appearance armed with double barreled guns,

pistols, corn-cutters, scythes and clubs. The org.anizatiou had been com-

plete, and as soon as the horn was sounded, as above indicated, the

negroes assembled from all directions.

The Marshal now approached Castner Hanway, one of the white

men, who was upon horse-back, and asked of him that he render assist-


division was ordered, and the eastern part called Bart, and

the western retained the old name, Sadsbury.

Calvin Cooper was elected a member of the Provincial

Assembly for six consecutive years, from 1749 till 1755.

ance in making the arrest. Hauway demauded of him his authority,

and the Marshal read liim his warrant. Hanway then told hinr that

he would meet with difficulty in making the ai'rest, and advised him to

desist from the attempt. At the time the Marshal read his warrant,

Lewis, the other white man, was also present, but neither, he nor Han-

way felt themselves bound to obey a mandate against the execution of

whicli their consciences revolted, and they chose rather to endure the

consequences of refusal. Besides, an attempt, at this time, to execute

the law seemed hazardous and likely to be attended with fatal conse-

quences. By this time the number of negroes that had arrived has been

estimated at from To to 100, all armed and evincing the most determined

spirit of resistance. To the demand of the Marshal, of Hanway, to assist

in making the arrest he remarked, "I will have nothing to do with it."

The negroes in the house, seeing their friends in such abundance,

salhed out, and raising a shout, siu'rounded Edward Gorsuch and his

companions, and fired upon them. Edward- Gorsuch fell, and his son,

Dickinson, running to his assistance, was also shot in the breast and

lungs and fell to the ground. Dr. Pearce was likewise shot in several

places, but succeeded in making his escape. Deputy Marshal KUne,

Joshua Gorsuch and the other two individuals, Nelson and Hutchins,

who accompanied the capturing party, all made their escape, speedily,

as best they could. Edward Gorsuch was mutilated by the negroes, his

pockets rifled of about ?;300, and left lying dead where he fell. His son,

Dickinson, was rescued from death through the influence of an old

colored man, who begged of the murderers to spare his life, and he wasshortly afterwards removed by some white persons, who visited the

scene, to the house of Leâ Pownall, where he lay a considerable time

before he could be removed.

As soon as the news of this occurrence reached Lancaster, John L.

Thompson, then District Attorney, and J. FrankUn Reigart, an alder-

man, accompanied by some of the most resolute citizens, repaired at

once to Christiana, and after taking certain legal steps proceeded to

arrest the blacks. Nine of them were taken in less than two hours.

Castner Hanway and Elijah Lewis, hearing of the warrants, surren-

dered themselves without resistance. All were committed by AldermanReigai-t, and conveyed to the Lancaster jail. The United States Mar-

shal, the United States District Attorney, and the Commissioner, with a

strong foi'ce of marines, and a detachment of the Philadelphia police,

arrived shortly afterwards at Christiana and lent their aid in makingan'ests of suspected parties. Both parties proceeded to make arrests,

and in a short time every section of country was pretty well scoured. Alarge number of additional i^risoners were brought in, and among them

two whites, a man named Scarlet, and the other Hood.


The citizens of Lancaster county petitioned the Legisla-

ture for the passage of an act that would cause the removal

of the French refugees from Nova Scotia, who had been

thrown upon them by the English government. An act was

A difficulty was like to have occvined between the State and the

United States authority, as to which the prisoners should be awarded.

Mr. Thompson contended that the prisoners had been guilty of the

highest crime known to the law of Pennsylvania, willful and deliberate

murder, and that as this had occurred in Lancaster county, the prisoners

should be taken to Lancaster for trial. District Attorney Ashmead, on

the contrary, insisted that the prisoners had been guilty of treason, in

levying war against the United States authorities. In this he was sus-

tained by the Commissioner, E. D. lugraham, and finally a compromise

was effected, by which each party was allowed to dispose of its ownarrests.

On Monday, November 24th, 1851, the trial of Castner Hauway for

treason, was commenced in the United States Circuit Court before Judges

Grier and Kane. The counsel who ajjpeared for the United States, were

United States District Attorney John W. Ashmead, James R. Ludlow

and George R. Ashmead ;Robert J. Brent and James Cooper for Mary-

land. The counsel for Castner Hanway, were John M. Read, Thaddeus

Stevens, Joseph J. Lewis and Theodore Cuyler. The trial lasted fifteen

days and was conducted with masterly ability by the legal gentlemen,

both for the prosecution and defense. The jury after retiring from the

box, returned after an absence of ten minutes, with a verdict of "not

guUty."

Caster Hanway and Elijah Lewis were brought to Lancaster to an-

swer any charge that might be preferred against them. An indictment

was laid before the grand jury for murder, but the jury ignored the bill

and thus ended the Christiana riot case.

The Christiana riot case is an illustration of an attempt to execute an

unpopular law, an undertaking that usually proves abortive. Conscience

rules supreme in the actions of men, and the law must succumb. Withwhom lies the blame in such cases ? In the present instance both par-

ties, the slave owners and the fugitives with their friends, had apparent

justice on their side. The one owned his property by virtue of law and

his education told him he was in the hue of his duty in seeking to re-

claim it. On the other hand, the instinctive law of Uberty induced the

fugitives to seek for it and even fight in its defense ; and the friends of

the fugitives sympathized with them in their contest for liberty. Wecan, therefore, condemn neither party, and must be aUowed to say that

what may be wrong in one, in another is the contrary, and therefore,

can see no other rule of rectitude in life than to obey conscience, and if

sincerely followed, though it be perverted, we are justified. This safe

rule would estabUsh charity, toleration and free opinion, unite mankind

in a universal brotherhood, where free thought and free speech would

crown the highest aspirations of man.


passed March oth, 1756, and Calvin Cooper, James "Webb,

and Samuel Lefevre were appointed to carry its provisions

into execution. The act empowered and required them or

their survivors, that within twenty days from the passage of

the act, they should order and appoint the disposition of the

inhabitants of JNova Scotia, imported and permitted to be

landed, in such manner and proportions as to them shall ap-

pear most equitable under certain limitations, having regard

to such lands and plantations, or other employments as they

might procure for them towards maintaining themselves and

their families, and thereby relieving the province from the

heavy charge of supporting them.

Calvin Cooper was appointed one of the Justices of the

Peace for Lancaster county, which office he held with satis-

faction to the public for many years. His descendants be-

came numerous and respectable, and while some of themsettled along the valley, and about Cooperville. others set-

tled at Lampeter and at the borough of Columbia ; and the

Coopers residing there at the present day, are among his de-

scendants. He was a valuable member in unity with the

Society of Friends, and undoubtedly a worthy and servicea-

ble man in the community. He was the grandfather of the

late well-known and highly respected Jeremiah Cooper, of

Sadsbury, who erected a large woolen factory in the valley,

below Cooperville, about the year 1825. The present

Coopers of Sadsbury, Bart, Lampeter and Columbia, are his

descendants of the 5th, 6th and 7th generations. He de-

parted this life near the close of the Eevolutionary war,

aged about eighty years.

CEAIG, John, was a member of the Legislature in the

years 1782, 1783 and 1784.

CEAIG, KoBEET, was a member of the Legislature in 1781.

He was also a Commissioner of Lancaster county in 1778.

CEUMBAUGH, Eev. J. C, was born in Frederick county,

Maryland. He received his education in the Pennsylvania

College, at Gettysburg, and graduated in 1851 with the

highest honors of his class. He came to Lancaster and

studied theology under the Eev. Dr. John 0. Baker, and at

the same time served as Principal of the Lancaster High13


School. He was licensed to preach by the Pennsylvania

Synod in 1853, and shortly afterwards he was elected pastor

of the new St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church.' Withconstantly declining health he continued to serve this con-

gregation up to March I9th, 1857, when he resigned, and

accepted the office of County Superintendent of CommonSchools. It had been the hope of his friends that this

new position affording him more out-dOor exercise, might

restore his health, but in this they were disappointed. Hedied of consumption January 13th, 1859, at the early age

of 28. As a student in college, he maintained a reputation

for talent of the fii'st order, standing ever at the head of

his classes, and carrying away the honors over his mates.

As principal of the Lancaster High School, he was a model

for imitation, being able to maintain the most excellent

discipline and order in the class and study rooms; and as a

clergyman, he had the unbounded confidence and friendship

of his whole congregation and of the community at large.

CUNNINGHAM, Jaj[es, was a member of the Legisla-

ture in the years 1779, 1788, 1789 and 1790.

'In tlie fall of 1851 a number of the young members of Trinity

Lutheran Church, of -ohich the Rev. John C. Baker was pastor, held a

social gathering and conversed concerning the propriety of opening a

mission school in the northwestern part of the city, and it was resolved

to make the attempt, provided they could obtaui the sanction of the

vesti-y to theb- undertaking. This consent having been obtained, March,

1852, a Sunday-school, called the Lutheran, was organized with twenty-

two pupils, J. C. Ci-umbaugh being its superintendent.

With the resignation of Eev. John C. Baker as the pastor of Trinity

Lutheran church, in January, 1853, the friends of a new church began

to consult among themselves, and a meeting was held on the 2nd of

April of that year, when it was resolved by those present to constitute

themselves the nucleus of a new Lutheran church. On the 18th of Mayfollowing, a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and by-

laws, and another to solicit subscrijitions for the erection of a church

edifice. On the loth of June, on motion of G. M. Zahm, the chm-ch

was unanimously named "St. John's EvangeUcal Lutheran Church."

The small congregation generally worshiped in Fulton Hall or the

lecture room of the Moravian church. On the 9th of October,

1853, the corner-stone of the new edifice was laid, Revs. Harbaugh,

Kurtz and Krotel officiating. On the 24th of December following, the

entile building having been completed, the consecration took place.

The edifice cost over $30,000.


D.DARLINGTON, Edward C, became a partner in Decem-

ber, 18-il, with R. W. Middleton, in the publication of

tbe Examiner and Herald. ^ Shortly after this, Middleton

withdrew from the firm, and Mr. Darlington continued the

publication of the paper up to October 20th, 1858. During

Mr. Darlington's connection with the paper, it was regarded

as the organ of what was known as the Silver Grey Whigs ^

of Lancaster county. Mr. Darlington was elected to the

State Senate, in 1851.

Mr. Darlington was a man quite retiring in his disposition,

a great reader, and a writer who wielded the editorial pen

with considerable ability.

' The Lancaster Examiner was started in the spring of 1830, bySamuel Wagner, who continued its publication until June, 1834.

Wagner sold out his interest to George W. Hamersly and Luther

Richards, who united it with the Herald. These continued the publi-

cation, under tlie new title, until Decembei', 1838, and tlien sold their

interest to R. W. Middleton. On the 8th of December, E. C. Darling-

ton became a partner of Middleton ; but on the 22nd of the same monththe latter retired, leaving Darlington sole owner and proprietor of the

paper, which he continued to be until October 20th, 1858, when he sold

out his interest to John A. Hiestand, John F. Huber and Francis

Heckert. This latter firm was dissolved November 4th, 1862, by the

death of Huber, one of its members. On the 9th of February, 1863,

the interest of Huber was purchased by Edwin M. Kline, and the

style of the firm became J. A. Hiestand & Co. On the 1st of January,

1864, T. E. & J. J. Cochran sold out the Lancaster Union to J. A.

Hiestand & Co., and from that date the latter firm began issuing the

Examiner semi-weekly, which has been continued up to this time. May1st, 1864, Mr. Heckert's interest in the jiaper passed to John I. Hart-

man, and the fli'm was named Hiestand, Kline & Hartman. On May1st, 1868, Mr. Hartman withdrew, and the paper is now published byHiestand & Kline.

* After the adoption of the compromise measures of 1850, during the

administration of Millard Fillmore, the Whig party divided into twobranches ; those who favored the compromises and those opposed to

them. In Lancaster county, the friends of the administration or of the

compromise measures, received the name of Silver Greys, who were

advocates of the policy of President Fillmore as regards the com-promise measures on the slavery question. Isaac E. Hiester was at

once regarded as the leader of the SUver Greys, and with him acted


DAVIES, Edward, was elected a member of tlie Legisla-

ture in the years 1834 and 1835. He represented Lancaster

county in Congress from 1837 till 1841.

DEERING, Henry, a member of the Legislature in tlie


DENUES, Charles, was born August 28th, 1823, in

York county, Pennsylvania. In 1835 he removed, with his

parents, to Lancaster, and was apprenticed to the turning

and powder-horn making business;but the uncongeniality

of his master caused our subject to shorten the term of his

apprenticeship. When about seventeen years of age, acting

on an occasion as cannonier for the Washington Artillery,

he lost his right hand from the accidental discharge of the

cannon. Being thus disabled for manual pursuits, he nowturned his attention to the obtaining of an education, and

having made some advance, in the year 1842 he began the

Thomas E. Franklin, esq., Edward C. Darlington, William W.' Brown, esq., John Sheafl'er, of Manheim, James M. Hopkins, of Dru-

more, John Steger, of New Holland, Michael Shirk, of West Cocalico,

Samuel Worth, of Martic, John J. Evans, of Little Britain, and R. A.

Evans, of Lancaster. The other wing of the party was headed byThaddeus Stevens, Dr. Esaias Kinzer, George Brubaker, Peter Johns,

David Bair, 0. J. Dickey, George Ford, Alexander II. Hood, Samuel

Eberly, and Hiram Erb, of Clay, Anthony E. Roberts, Frederick E.

Hoifman, and Frederick Smith, of Conoy.

In the Whig convention of IS.'il, the Silver Grey wing carried off the

victory, nominating all the candidates for office except Esaias Kinzer,

who, by a faithful canvass before the convention, had secured enough

votes to nominate him to the State Senate, along with E. C. Darlington.

The defeat of the Anti-slavery Whigs, was regarded as owing to the

influence of the Ec(t?ft»te)' and Herald; and as a counterpoise to this

paper, it was resolved to start a paper in their interest. EdwardMcPherson, of Adams county, was sent for, and he beg.an the publica-

tion of the Independent Wliig, devoted to the advocacy of Anti-

slavery principles. In 1852 the Silver Greys were again successful, elect-

ing Isaac E. Hiester to Congress.

At the National Convention held at Baltimore in 18.')2, the Silver

Grey element of the country supported 5Iillard Fillmore for Presi-

dent ; the distinctive New England element voted for Webster

;

and the Anti-slavery Whigs united upon General Scott and he wasnominated. Scott having been so disastrously defeated in the canvass

for President, the old Whig party began rapidly to decline. In

1853 the Native American party that had maintained a feeble exist-

ence in the large cities, began to revive under the name of Know


study of law with Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, and was admitted

to the bar in 18i4. He practiced for a time in Lancaster, a

short period in York, Pa., and afterwards removed to Wis-

consin, in which place he was attacked with disease, and

returned home in 1848.

He now began teaching school, a career he followed, at

different places, for a number of years. He was principal

of the Millersville graded school for nine years.

In 1859 he entered iipon the study of theology, and having

preached his trial sermon, served as a supply to a congrega-

tion at Columbia.

In 1862 he raised a company for the Union army, and

was commissioned captain, August 12th, 1862. His com-

pany was assigned as part of the 135th regiment of Penn-

sylvania volunteers, under Col. Porter. He, with his men,

protected two of the Union batteries at the battle of Grey's

Farm. He participated with his company in the famed

Nothings ; and lodges were org.anized throughout the country, which

were filled chiefly liy recruits from the old Whig party. In 1S54 there

were, therefore, three tickets in the field in Lancaster county, the Demo-cratic, the Know Nothing, and the Whig.

The party manipulations in the Know Nothing lodges were conducted

in secret. In the uomiuatious made in the county convention of the old

effete Whig party, the best men in their ranks were selected as their

standard bearers, and in the election which followed, some of those

elected were Democrats, some Know Nothings and other Whigs. An-thony E. Roberts was elected to Congress on the Know Nothing ticket.

The disintegration of the Whig party by 1855 was complete, and in that

year the whole Know Nothing ticket in the county was elected. TheWhigs remained at that time but a very feeble minoi'ity . About this

period the Democratic party in Congress repealed the Missouri Compro-

mise, and this had the effect of attracting into the Know Nothing ranks

mostof the anti-slavery element of the country ; and inasmuch as the secret

oath-bouud dogmas of the party were offensive to many of the recruits

from the Democratic! and Whig ranks, and the main principle now be-

ing hostility to slavery, the party re-moulded itself into an open organ-

ization, under the name of Republicans. A few of the old Whigs of

Lancaster county feeling themselves entirely out-generaled in the newconstruction of parties, and out of an unwillingness to acknowledge the

leadership of their opponents, attached themselves to the Democratic

party, and thenceforth acted in its ranks. The great mass, however, of

the old Silver Grey Whigs united their political destinies to the Anti-

slavery wing under whatever name it called itself, and from that time

Lancaster county has been overwhelmingly Repubhcan. •


conflict of Chancellorsville, after which they were mustered

out of service, in May, 1863.

Having returned home, he taught school again in the

winter of 1863-4. In October, 1861, he was elected to the

Pennsylvania Legislature, and reelected in 1865. During

his last session he acted as chairman of the military com-

mittee. In the spring of 1866 he again began the practice

of the law in Lancaster, which he yet continues. On Janu-

ary 1st, 1867, he was appointed Notary Public, and re-

appointed January 12th, 1870.

DICKEY, 0. J., was born in Beaver county, Pennsylva-

nia, April 6th, 1823. His father, John Dickey, was a lead-

ing politician in the western part of the State, and at one

time a member of the board of Canal Commissioners, and

represented his district in the State Senate, also in Con-

gress, and was marshal of the western district of Pennsylva-

nia at the time of his death. The subject of our notice re-

ceived his education at the Beaver Academy and at Dickin-'

son College, Carlisle, passing through the junior class of the

latter institution. Having closed his classic career one year

short of graduation, he entered as a student in the law of&ce

of James Allison, esq., one of the old leading lawyers of

Beaver (the father of the present Register- of the Treasury),

and was admitted a member of the Beaver bar. Designing.

Lancaster as the place where he should locate for the prac-

tice of the profession, he came in 1816, with a letter of in-

troduction to Mr. Stevens, who kindly received him and

proffered to him the use of his office. Mr. Stevens having

by intuition, as it were, perceived that our young barrister

was made of solid material, employed him from the start at

a fixed salary to attend to certain jjarts of his business. Mr.

Dickey was thus afforded an excellent opportunity of becom-

ing acquainted with the practical business of the profession,

and rapidly did he profit with these advantages,. This was

an instance of a rare mind meeting with rare opportunities.

His progress in business was a very rapid and successful

one. After a few years of steady and gradual rise in his

profession, he, at the instance of his benefactor, became a

partner with the latter, as to all the current business which

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. . 159

presented itself, save where Mr. Stevens was himself specially

employed. This partnership continued up till the year 1857,

when he found it necessary from the press of business to

open an office of his own.

In the fall of 1856 he was elected District Attorney of

Lancaster county, an office he filled with great credit and

ability. After opening a separate office of his own, he still

continued to have charge of all Mr. Stevens' business when

the latter was absent or unable to attend to the same.

In the year 1857 Mr. Dickey chose to himself a partner

for life, in the person of Miss Elizabeth Shenk, of Lancaster.

Upon the death of Mr. Stevens, in 1868, Mr. Dickey was

nominated and elected to fill his unexpired term in Congress,

as well as for the subsequent term of two years ; and in

1870, after a warm and spirited contest, he was again nom-

inated by his party by an overwhelming majority, over J. P.

Wickersham, and again elected to Congress.

As a lawyer, Mr. Dickey ranks amongst the first practi-

tioners of the Lancaster bar ; his biisiness being perhaps as

lucrative as any that could be named. He is well read in

his profession, and in the trial of a cause he has no superior.

His arguments before a jury are sound, logical and convinc-

ing ; and he is able to bring out of his case all that is in it.

As a politician, he has but few equals, having a strength

with the masses that few possess. Born to rule, he enters

an assemblage of tumultuous partisans and contending polit-

ical aspirants, and organization follows his word and opposi-

tion retires. As by a word, he carries with him the meeting,

and the result crowns his banner. He is dexterous in his

manipulations, active in circumventing his enemies, and

always present in the midst of the political battle, saying in

essence to his political friends, "follow me." His word has a

charm in it, and he generally leads to victory.

As a man, Mr. Dickey is high-toned and honorable,

and his word on any occasion is as good as his bond. He is

exceedingly liberal in his opinions, never permitting differ-

ence of sentiment to alter his conduct or feeling towards a

personal friend. In this particular, he is exemplary. Hewas one of those of enlarged views who, during the dark days


of the rebellion (wlien partisan bate was visible all around),

could accord to individuals of diflerent opinion from bis

own, the same bonesty of sentiment as be bimself entertained.

Mr. Dickey is not what might be called a fluent declaimer,

but bis speeches have the ring of energy, ability and force.

His political harangues will, however, excite more applause

and enthusiasm than will follow the outbursts of a more

impassioned and eloquent orator. His manner of speaking

is rather better adapted for juridical than partisan purposes.

His strength as a politician lies in his great organizing abil-

ity rather than in his oratorical. Since the demise of his

great precursor in Congress, he is, perhaps, the leading

thinker of his party in Lancaster county.

DICKINSON, Joseph C, a member of the Legislature in

the years 1846 and 18-47. He was one of the first whoerected permanent buildings in Christiana.

*DICKINSON, Joseph, emigrated to this country from

Cumberland, England,, by way of Ireland, about the year

1725. The ship on which he came a passenger having

struck upon a rock, causing it to leak so rapidly that it was

impossible to keep the vessel afloat, and was about given up

as lost, and the jDassengers were preparing to meet their fate,

when Joseph Dickinson volunteered to go down under the

water, on the outside of the ship, and stop the leak, which

hazardous undertaking he accomplished by inserting pieces .

of dried beef in the crevices. He was united in marriage

with Elizabeth, daughter of (iuyon Miller, of Ksnnett,

Chester county, in the year 1732, when he removed and

settled near the Pequea creek, in Salisbury township. Hehad two sons, Joseph and Gaius, and seven daughters. His

son, Gaius, and his grandson, Joseph, continued to reside on

the property, while his son Joseph purchased land and resided

in Sadsbury.

Joseph C. Dickinson, Moses Pownall and Joseph D. Pow-

nall, of Sadsbury, and Joseph Hood, of Bart, who were mem-

bers of the Legislature at difterent times, were the great grand-

sons of Joseph Dickinson ; also, Jacob T. -Gest and Isaac

Walker, of Sadsbury. Anna Dickinson, of Philadelphia, and ^

*Goutributecl by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbury.


Mary Louisa Walker, late of Richmoiid, Va., but now Mary

Louisa Roberts, of Robertson county, Texas, are both the

great grand-daughters of his son, Gaius Dickinson. He was

a man well educated, and was an esteemed and valuable

member of the denomination of Friends. His great grand-

sons, James and Lewis Dickinson, still reside on the property

in Salisbury ; and J. D. C. Pownall, one of his descendants

of the fifth generation, holds the property in Sadsbury.

DIFFENDERFFER, and a companion by the name of

Stone, were the two first settlers who took up the land upon

which New Holland is built, and for a mile around it. They

were natives of Germany, and came to New Holland in 1728.

David DifFenderfier, a son of the first settler, became early

identified with the American patriots in their struggle for

independence. He entered the army, and served with credit

for several years, bearing his part in several of the hard-

fought battles of revolutionary history. He died in NewHolland in 1846, at a very advanced age. His descendants

are numerous. Dr. W. L. Diifenderffer is one of his grand-

sons.

DILLER, Adam, was elected sherift'of Lancaster county

in 1827.

DILLER, Roland, is a native of Lancaster, and a man of

great activity and business perseverance. His educational

facilities were superior to the great majority of the young

men of his time whose lives were designed for active em-

ployments. He engaged in the mercantile business for some

time ; but, upon the death of his uncle, Frederick Seger, whowas a conveyancer, he abandoned merchandising and took

up conveyancing, a business he has followed ever since. Hehas also connected with scrivening that of surveying.

Upon the organization of the anti-Masonic party, Mr.

Diller was amongst the most prominent and active in that

movement. He contributed actively towards the establish-

ment of the first anti-Masonic paper in the county, and in all

the political movements of his party he has ever maintained

a leading position. He for many years acted as a magistrate

of the county, and perhaps no man ever filled that office whoseemed, by intuition, to comprehend the intricacies of law


better than the subject of this notice. One knowing Mr.

Diller intimately, uses this language of him: "The cast of

his mind is eminently legal, and had he read law regularly,

and practiced the profession, he would have become one of

the best jurists our county ever produced."

He has for years been the legal adviser of his fellow-citizens

in and around New Holland, and his advice is anxiously

sought in all matters of business where a knowledge of law

is required. Mr. Diller has always been a great reader, and

his library is said to be one of the best, if not the very best,

in Lancaster county. He possessed the basis, beyond all

question, for extraordinary achievements, and but an arena

was wanting to have rendered him one of the most conspicu-

ous men of the nation. He has been frequently mentioned

for Congress; but he rather chose a life of retirement than

one that brought with it great sacrifices and responsibilities.

His wonderful methodical arrangement, if nothing else, dis-

plays a mind of no ordinary compass, and this characteristic

has been observed in all his business transactions. He pos-

sesses complete files of most of the papers he has ever re-

ceived. Some years since he donated some of these to the

Lancaster Athenasum.

DILLEE, Solomon, a brother of the above, was a mem-ber of the Legislature in 1836 and 1837.

'DIXON, William, was the principal founder of the Lan-

caster lyiteUigencer, which was started by him and his brother

Eobert, in the year 1799. The paper was issued regularly

as a Eepublican (Democratic) organ by Dixon uutil his death

in 1823. William Dixon was several times elected Treasurer

of Lancaster county. He was a man of great popularity and

sterling principle.

' William Dixou was, iu February, 1806, found guilty of libel on Gov-

ernor McKean, in that he charged the Governor with having madecornipt overtures to Henry AYertz, a Senator from Bedford county. Onaccount of the contradictory statements made by Wertz, before the trial

came off, he was not called as a witness ; and, although Dixon proved

substantially all he had charged iu his paper, yet he was found guilty,

under the law of libel as it then existed. He was sentenced, by Judges

Henry and Coleman, to three months' imprisonment in the county jail,

and to pay f500 as a fine to the Commonwealth, and the costs of prose-

cution. He was committed in accordance with the sentence. The fine


DONEE, John, was born January 8th, 1818, in Lampeter

(now East Lampeter) township, Lancaster county. Pa. His

parents were of French descent, and in their religious faith,

members of the old Mennonite church. His education was

such as the schools of his neighborhood afforded, and he has

been all his lifetime engaged in agricultural pursuits. After

his marriage he removed to Manor township, where he yet

resides. He was elected and served as a director of the

Lancaster County Bank for a number of years. In 1860 Mr.

Doner was elected a Commissioner of Lancaster county, and

served through perhaps the most critical period of the

county's history, the beginning and the greater period of

the rebellion. It was a period that devolved upon the Board

of Commissioners a weight of responsibility that never before

had required to be assumed by any Board since the organi-

zation of the county. Mr. Doner, as one of the Board during

and costs were promptly paid by his political friends, and he was daily

visited by members of the Legislature and citizens of the highest stand-

ing, aU regarding him simply as the ^-ictim of political persecution.

A number of Democratic citizens gave Mr. Dixon a supper in his

place of confinement, which was handsomely illuminated on the occa-

sion. Major John Light, and Joseph Lefevre, (afterwards a member of

Congress), acted as president and vice president, and numerous toasts

were di'ank in honor of Dixon in his captivity.

Mrs. Dixon, wife of "William Dixon, evinced great heroism during the

imprisonment of her hirsband, and refused to ask his release of

Governor McKean. When certain influential friends volunteered to

accompany her to the Governor and endeavor to obtain a pardon, she

replied, " For your friendshij), and the ofl'er of your company and inter-

cession, gentlemen, I sincerely thank you ; but my husband has com-mitted no crime. "Why ask forgiveness ? A separation from the hus-

band of my bosom is aflSictiug, but to supplicate the oppressor (who has

torn him from my side) would be base servility."

Dixon's imprisonment was denounced by tlie whole Republican press

of the day. A meeting of the leading Republicans of the borough of

Lancaster was held at the house of John "Whiteside, and an address wasissued suggesting the propriety of changing the day of the county

meeting from "Wednesday, May 14th, till Saturday, the 17th, in honor

of it being the day when Dixon's term of imprisonment will have

expired. As he will leave the prison about 12 o'clock, the addi'ess urged

that the Republicans meet at "Whiteside's tavern, at 11 o'clock, in order

to give Dixon a fitting reception upon his leaving the prison. On the

day of his release, accordingly, a large meeting of Republicans metDixon at he prison and escorted him to his house.


that period, faithfully and efficiently discharged the duties

devolved upon him, and to the entire satisfaction of his con-

stituents. Mr. Doner is at present engaged in agricultural

pursuits.

DOUGLASS, JoHX, a member of the Legislature in 1756,

1761, 1762 and 1763.

DOWNING, William, a member of the Legislature in

1771.

DUCHMAN, Jacob, elected County Commissioner in 1820.

DUCHMAN, Col. John H., was a prominent citizen of

Lancaster city for many years. He was, by occupation, in

his younger years, a hatter, and carried on this business for

years. He kept for a number of years the Leopard hotel,

in Bast King street. Early in life he became captivated

with military glory and volunteered in the war of 1812-14.

He served as first Lieutenant of the old Lancaster Fencibles,

then under command of Capt. John K. Findley, which was

famed for its admirable discipline, and which was disbanded

about the breaking out of the Mexican war. Some years

after this Col. Duchman raised a new company, also named

the Fencibles, of which he was elected Captain. It was this

company which escorted James Buchanan to Washington in

March, 1857, at the time he was inaugurated President of

the United States. This company remained in existence up

to the breaking out of the rebellion in 1861. and became

Company F of the 1st Pennsj^lvania regiment. Owing to

ill health, Capt. Duchman was unable to march with his

company, and 1st Lieutenant Emlen Franklin succeeded to

the command. For some years he was clerk in the Lancaster

bank. During James Buchanan's administration he held a

position in the custom house in Philadelphia. Shortly after

the breaking out of the rebellion he raised a company for

the 79th Eegiment, P. "V. of which he was chosen Lieutenant

Colonel.

On account of advanced age and the rigors of the field, he

was compelled to retire from active service after having

served about one year. He died October 8th, 1866, in the

70th year of his age.

DUCHMAN, William, elected Eecorder in 1845.


*DUFFIELD, George, was the third son of George and

Margaret DiifSeld, who emigrated from Ireland in 1730 and

settled in Pequea, Lancaster county. They were descended

from Huguenot ancestry, their forefathers having escaped from

France on account of religious persecution and settled in

England, and afterwards passed over into the north of Ire-

land. The name was originally du Fiehle, but became an-

glicised after the family had settled in England.

The subject of this notice was born October 7th, 1732.

He received his academical education at Newark, Delaware,

where afterwards he ofliciated as Tutor. He graduated at

Nassau Hall, joined the church under the care of Eev.

Eobert Smith, of Pequea, and shortly afterwards commenced

the study of theology under his supervision. He was licensed

to preach the gospel by the Presbytery of New Castle, March

11th, 1756. He received a call from the united churches of

Carlisle, Big Spriiig and Monohau (now called Dillstown),

and was ordained at Carlisle, September 25th, 1761.

During the pendency of his -ordination and settlement at

Carlisle, he was married March 5th, 1759, to Margaret Arm-strong, sister of General John Armstrong, of Kevolutionary

memory. By this marriage he had four children. His

youngest son, George, was for many years connected as

Kegister and Comptroller General, with the administration of

the State of Pennsylvania under Governor Thomas McKean.

At the time of his settlement in Carlisle and the united

congregations, each ten miles distant from the borough, the

Indians were numerous in the vicinity and often made hostile

demonstrations, which recjuired the body of the male mem-bers to arm themselves in self-defense. In all these dangers he

participated, cheerfully accompanying his flock to the camp,

to administer to them there the consolations of religion. Thechurch at Monohan was in such an exposed situation, that as

a protection during the hours of worship, fortifications were

thrown around it ; behind which, while those stationed on

the ramparts kept watch, the congregation might, without

distraction or fear, engage in the worship of God. His deep

interest in and sympathy with a population thus periled and

*Sprague's Aimals of the American Pulpit, Vol. 3.


suffering on the frontiers, rendered him, throughout the

whole of that region, exceedingly popular. So strong was

the attachment for him, that in all perilous adventures,

especially during the Revolutionary struggle, the men whohad to take up arms for their homes, their liberties and their

lives, always welcomed his visits in the camp with the most

cordial good-will.

Mr. Duffield was a bold and zealous assertor of the rights

of conscience, an earnest and powerful advocate of civil and

religious liberty. During the pendency of those measures

which were maturing the Declaration of Independence,

while the prospects of the colonies seemed most gloomy, his

preaching contributed greatly to encourage and animate the

friends of liberty. He was not in the habit of writing out

his discourses in full; but, having made a skeleton, and ar-

ranged his thoughts, awaited the inspiration of the occasion

for the filling up. Several of these unfinished discourses which

remain, breathe a spirit of the most pure and lofty patriot-

ism, and withal are strikingly prophetic of the religious

scenes which were to open out of all that darkness in which

the country was then enveloped.

During his ministry at Carlisle, he was twice earnestly

called by the Second Presbyterian church of Philadelphia,

then worshipping at the northwest corner of Arch and Third

streets, to become their pastor ; and the commissioners with

great zeal prosecuted their call before the Presbytery. Both

the Presbytery and himself, however, judged that his pres-

ence at Carlisle was of more importance at that time than at

Philadelphia.

In the year 1766 Mr. Duf&eld was deputed by the Synod,

in connection with the Rev. Charles Beatty, to make a mis-

sionary tour and visit the families that had made their wayalong the great valley that stretches through Pennsylvania,

Maryland and Virginia. The object of this mission was to

administer the ofB.ces of religion to those families which had

settled in what is now Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and

through the range of country where Greencastle, Hagers-

town and other villages now stand, as far as the Potomac,

with a view to the organization of churches.


Some time after this, Mr. Duffield was called to the Third

Presbyterian church in Philadelghia, where he officiated dur-

ing the sessions of the Colonial Congress, anterior to and

during the Eevolutionary struggle. That church had been

originally a branch of the First Presbyterian church, under

the care of the Eev. Dr. Ewing. A controversy arose be-

tween them and the parent church, relative to their indepen-

dence. Both the Presbytery and Mr. Duifield judged that

it was his duty to accept the call and remove to Philadelphia.

The circumstances under which he was translated to that

charge, in connection with the old feuds that had divided the

church, produced obstacles in the way of his labors at the

commencement of his ministry. He was greatly admired as

a preacher, and was recognized as a bold, animated and de-

cided Whig, resolutely contending against the encroachments

on civil and religious liberty made by the government of

Great Britain. On an occasion shortly after his appearance

in Philadelphia, the large church edifice, then standing on

the corner of Third and Pine streets, which the First church

claimed to have under its control, was closed and barred

against his entrance, by their order, notwithstanding an ap-

pointment had been made for his preaching in it for the con-

gregation accustomed to worship there, and by their direc-

tion. The house was opened by the officers of the Third

church, and Mr. Duffield was assisted through the throng

that had assembled to hear him, and introduced through a

window. News of the people assembling on Sabbath even-

ing spread, and application was made to Mr. J. Bryant, the

King's magistrate, to quell what was called a riot. Themagistrate proceeded to the spot, and, shortly after the com-

mencement of public worship, pressed his way into the aisle of

the church, before the pulpit, (on the very spot where after-

wards Mr. Duf6.eld's remains were interred, and where they

yet sleep, and in the name of the King, read the riot act and

required the people to disperse. The congregation was com-

posed of zealous Whigs, who could not endure Tory influ-

ence or authority. The principal ofiicer of the congregation,

a Mr. Knox, rose and ordered the magistrate to desist. Herefused and went on with his reading. A second time the


zealous champion of liberty, in hearing of all the congrega-

tion, with loud voice, demanded that the magistrate cease

from disturbing the worship of God. He still refused ; when,

without further ado, he seized the magistrate, who was a

small man, and lifting him up carried him through the crowd

out of the house, and ordered him to begone, and not come

back there to disturb the worship of God. The magistrate

bowed to the stern assertor of popular liberty, and Mr.

DufEield went on with his preaching. But the next day he

was arrested and brought before the Mayor's Court, and was

required to plead to the charge of aiding and abetting a

riot, and give bail for his appearance for trial. He politely

and respectfully refused to put in any plea or give the bail,

averring, that as a minister of Christ, he was performing the

duties of his office and was no way accessory to a riot, of

the existence of which there was no proof. The Mayor said

that such a procedure would greatly embarrass the Court,

who would be compelled to send him to prison if he did not

plead and offer bail. His brother, Samuel Duffield, M. D.,

or other of his friends whomsoever he might name, would

be accepted by him as bail. He still, with the utmost cour-

tesy, declined. After some entreaty, the Mayor ofl'ered him-

self to behis bail, not wishing to commit him to prison. Hecordially thanked his Honor for his unmerited kindness, but

protested that he stood on the ground of principle, and that

he was called, in the providence of God, to assert the rights

and liberty of a minister of Christ, and of a worshiping as-

sembly, and • denied the legitimate interference and cogni-

zance of the King's government in such matters. The Mayor

delayed for several days deciding in the case, and requesting

him to take the matter into consideration, sufi'ered him to

withdraw to his own house, under the assurance that he must

again appear before the Court and give his definite answer.

The occasion and procedure were productive of great excite-

ment. The news that the King's government was going to

put Mr. Duffield in prison, spread through the city and into

the country, until it reached the region where he had for-

merly lived. Here the excitement became so great that the

volunteer forces, to whom he was well-known, and by whom


lie was much beloved, assembled, and resolved to held them-

selves in readiness to march, though distant a hundred miles

or moKe, to the city of Philadelphia, if he should be impris-

oned, and set him at liberty in opposition to the King's gov-

ernment. The occasion and opportunity for their valor

were never aftbrded;for he was never again brought before

the Mayor's Court. He was allowed to pursue his minis-

terial duties unmolested, and the First Church settled their

matters with the branch, and recognized their right to call

the minister of their choice without dictation or control.

Attempts, however, were made to prevent his introduc-

tion into the Presbytery to which the First Church and their

pastor belonged. He insisted on his right, according to the

social compact, to be received by them, refusing to com-

mence his ministry in Philadelphia with allowed imputa-

tions of his character and orthodoxy. Eventually, when he

had been so received, that his presence might not molest

men who did not sympathize with him in ecclesiastical mat-

ters, he voluntarily applied for and received a dismission to

the other Presbytery, with whose members he had more

especial affinity.

During a part of the sessions of the Colonial Congress he

was employed, with the Eev. Mr. (afterwards Bishop) White,

as chaplain to that body. John Adams attended regularly

on his ministry, and communed with his church during the

sitting of Congress in Philadelphia.

Mr. Duffield was eminently a man of devotional feelings

and habits, and was instrumental in establishing the first

prayer-meeting in any Presbyterian church in Philadelphia.

So much did he value prayer, and so important did he feel it to

be to excite and encourage the men that had left their homes

and periled their lives in the cause of freedom, to look to

God and put their trust in Him, that he would .occasionally,

in the darkest hours of the Revolution, leave his charge and

repair to the camp, where the fathers and sons of many of

his flock were gathered, and minister to them in the public

preaching of the Word, and in personal converse.

When the enemy were lying on Staten Island, and the

American troops were on the opposite side of the Sound, on14


a Sabbath day he preached to a portion of the soldiers

gathered into an orchard, having ascended into the forks of

a tree for his pulpit. The noise of their singing arrested the

enemy's attention, who directed several cannon shot to be

fired toward the spot whence it proceeded. As the shot

came rushing through the trees, he suggested that they

should retire behind a hillock, and not remote from the spot

where they were, which was done under the enemy's fire,

without injury, and there they finished their religious exer-

cises. He was with the army in their battles and retreat

through Jersey, during that dark and nearly hopeless period

of the Eevolution, and was almost the very last man that

crossed the bridge over the stream immediately south of

Trenton, before it was cut down by order of the American

general. For this preservation he was indebted to a Quaker

friend, whom he had essentially aided in his hour of trial

—

though of politics opposed to his own—and whose deliver-

ance he had been the means of securing. The British ofSicers

had put a price upon his head, and were particularly anxious

to destroy him, because of the influence he exerted amongthe soldiers of the American army. After the retreat from

Princeton, he had retired to a pi'ivate house in Trenton to

seek repose, and was not aware that the American army had

taken ujj their line of march and had nearly all crossed the

bridge, until his Quaker friend, having ascertained that he

was in the town, sought him out and gave him the alarm, just

in time for him to escape before the bridge was destroyed

by the retreating army of Washington.

He continued the pastor of the Third Presbyterian church

until the day of his death, and was greatly respected and

beloved by them. He received the degree of Doctor of

Divinity from Yale College, in 1785. He died in Philadel-

phia, among the people of his charge, February 2nd, 1790,

aged 57 years.

DUFFIELD, Ekv. George, was born in the village of

Strasburg, Lancaster county, July 4th, 1794. His father,

also named George, was a merchant, and for nine years

Eegister and Comptroller General, under Governor McKean.

His grandfather, also bearing the same name, was chaplain


of the Old Continental Congress, an honor he held in con-

nection with Bishop White.

The subject of this notice graduated at the early age of

sixteen years, at the University of Pennsylvania, then under

the Presidency of S. McDowell, LL.D. He read theology,

and was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Philadel-

phia, on the 20th of April, 1815. He immediately there-

upon entered upon the duties of his profession, in which he

faithfully continued to labor up to the day of his death. In

1817 he married, in New York city, Miss Isabella Bethune,

a daughter of the well-known merchant, and sister of the

Eev. George W. Bethune, D.D. In 1837 he was called to the

Broadway Tabernacle as the successor of the Eev. Charles

Gr. Finney. In 1838 he was called to the First Presbyterian

congregation of Detroit, a position he at once accepted, and

continued as the sole pastor thereof until April 27th, 1865,

when the Rev. N. S. McCorkle was installed as associate

pastor. The subject of this notice was honored with the

title of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Duffield was very regular and assiduous in his clerical

ministrations, preaching regularly to his congregation, except

when temporarily disabled, up to the period of his death.

Even during the cholera epidemic of 1849, he steadily stood

his post, and being severely prostrated by the malady, and

from the effects of a chronic disease to which he had long

been subject, he, at the earnest solicitation of his friends,

accepted a leave of absence and went abroad for a year, and

then returned completely restored to health.

In his own denomination, Dr. Duffiekl's learning and

ability made him one of its most eminent divines. He ranked

in the same category with Drs. Lyman Beecher, Albert

Barnes, S. H. Cox, Bethune, Spring, and Sprague. His in-

fluence was long exerted and will be permanent. He died

at Detroit, June 26th, 1868.

DUNLAP, John M., is a native of Lancaster county, and

a practicing physician in the borough of Manheim. He set

out in life as a teacher of a subscription school, but soon

after abandoned this for the study of medicine. He entered,

as a student of medicine, the office of Dr. F. S. Burrowes,


of Lancaster city, and graduated at the Jefferson Medical

College, in 1845. He chose the borough of Manheim for

the practice of his profession, and he was not long in estab-

lishing himself in a lucrative business, in which he is yet

steadily engaged. In 1863 he was nominated a,nd elected

a State Senator, a position he filled by a courteous and close

attention to the duties of the office.

DYSAET, James, was elected Clerk of the Orphans'

Court in 1851.

E.

EBEEMAN, Jacob, son of John Eberman, was elected

County Treasurer in 1803. He was also elected Direc-

tor of the Poor, a position he held for three years. He was

commissioned by Governor McKean, a Justice of the Peace,

but never acted in that capacity. He was a land agent for

many years, and was instrumental in this line in securing

and effecting land titles for the owners of property while the

land office was located at Lancaster.

^ EBERMAN, John, was a clock-maker of Lancaster, and

the manufacturer of the first town clock in Lancaster, and

which is yet in existence.

EBEEMAN, John, a brother of Jacob Eberman, was

cashier of one of the old Lancaster banks for thirty years. .

EBERMAN, Peter G., son of Jacob Eberman, above

named, held the office of Commissioners' Clerk for a period

of upwards of a quarter of a century and until within the

last five years. He is an Alderman of Lancaster City.

'The old town clock was made and put up by John Eberman in the

old Court House, in 1786, at a cost of £550. About the year 1796 a newsteeple was added to the building, the clock taken down and new hands

put thereon, which were considerably larger than the old ones, improve-

ments much commended at the time. It was on this occasion that

Jacob Eberman, son of John Eberman, lost his hand. The clock was

put up on a cold day of February, and his hand being numbed with the

cold, was accidentally caught .between the large wheel and pinion wheathe works were in motion, and the fingers literally ground off.


EBERLE, Dr. John, was born in Manor township, Lan-

caster county, in January, 1788. His father was a black-

smith, and designed his son to follow the same occupation,

but his nature, fitted for another career, prompted him to

make exertions to have his life directed in a different chan-

nel. Without more than the ordinary education of the

schools of his district, he began the study of medicine under

the direction of Dr. Abraham Carpenter, of Lancaster; after-

wards he read with Dr. Clapp, in Philadelphia, and graduated

Doctor of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania, in

1809. The subject of his inaugural address was animal

heat. He entered upon the practice of medicine first in:

Manheim, Lancaster county, and after a few years removed

to Lancaster city, where, a short time afterwards, he accepted

a commission as surgeon to the Lancaster militia, and was

present at the battle of Baltimore, in 1814. Whilst in

Lancaster he became, for a short period, the editor of a poli-

tical paper during a stirring gubernatorial election, and was

thereby seduced into the meshes of office-hunters and un-

principled demagogues, and led into other kinds of practice,

that for a season threatened him with entire ruin. In this

way he lost all his practice as a physici. n in Lancaster, and

was obliged to select a new location for the pursuit of his

profession, and for this he determined upon the city of

Philadelphia.

In 1815 he began the practice of his profession in this

new location, where considerable time is usually required

to establish an extensive business. Not long after this he

wrote some articles which attracted marked attention, and

he was thus induced, shortly afterwards, to essay the edi-

torial management of a medical journal. In 1818 the

American Medical Recorder made its debut, under the editor-

ship of John Eberle, M. D., as a quarterly, and was ably sus-

tained by men who were willing to furnish him their contri-

butions without any pecuniary reward. To the establish-

ment of this journal Dr. Eberle greatly owed his subsequent

advancement and reputation ; he was soon thereafter elected

a member of the Linnasan Society of Philadelphia, and in

1822 the Berlin Medical Chirurgical Society enrolled his


name in their list of foreign members. In 1825 he waselected a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of

Philadelphia.

He was active in promoting the interests of the Jefferson

Medical College, and may be regarded as one of its most

ef&cient founders. After the establishment of this institu-

tion he was appointed professor of the practice of Physic,

in 1825, and in 1830 was transferred to the chair of Materia

Medica, in the same college. He was lecturer, also, on

obstetrics. In the fall of 1831 he removed with his family

to Cincinnati, and was elected Professor of Materia Medica

in the Ohio Medical College. In the changes which neces-

sarily occurred on this occasion, he was called upon ta

resume the branch he had formerly taught in Jefferson Col-

lege, and the practice of medicine again came within the

immediate duty of his professional chair. He continued to

discharge this responsible trust until 1837, when he was

induced, from many circumstances, once more to change the

the scene of his labors, and he removed to Lexington, Ky.The professorship of the practice of medicine was now ten-

dered to him in the medical department of the Transylvania

University. He died shortly after his installment in this

institution, at Lexington, February 2nd, 1838.

Besides his labors as editor of the Medical Recorder, he is

the author of several distinct treatises which will long render

his name familiar to the medical student. In 1822 his trea-

tise on Therapeutics came before the public, one which wasconceded not only in this country, but in distant lands,

to be the very best work on the subject ever issued from

the American press. As evidence of the high esteem placed

upon it, the work was translated into several foreign lan-

guages, and has been quoted with marked approbation ever

since. No American work on Therapeutics has ever yet

been published so full of originality and real excellence. In

1830 appeared his practice of Physic, in 2 vols, octavo, a

deservedly popular work, and since often re-printed. It was i

the only Philadelphia issue on practical medicine that had

ever appeared, professing to be original to a great extent,

and not a mere re-print of a foreign work with the addition.


of a few brief notes. This, like his Therapeutics, found its

way into all the respectable libraries of the profession, and

was made a test-book in various colleges. In 1833 he issued

the first edition of his treatise on the Diseases of Children, a

work of considerable merit, and one which met with a fair

sale.

The life of Dr. Eberle was chiefly appropriated to the

advancement of the profession he had selected as the busi-

ness of his existence. His knowledge was the result of great

individual effort, often under the most discouraging and

adverse circumstances ; and, nevertheless, it was various and

extensive. To modern science, he added a familiar acquaint-

ance with Hippocratic medicine, and his regard for the

ancients led him to estimate somewhat unduly their merits.

That he labored not in vain, may be inferred from the

extensive circulation of his writings, and the estimation in

which they are generally held both by the students of sci-

ence and by men of clinical experience.

Dr. Alban Goldsmith, who was for five years a colleague

of Dr. Eberle in the Medical College of Ohio, in a letter to

Dr. Francis, of New York, thus writes of his lamented friend:

"In a wide survey of medical men with whom I have had

intercourse, I have rarely encountered one who possessed a

larger share of professional knowledge in the several branches

of healing than Dr. Eberle. To great extent of iuf rmation

he united a kind and courteous demeaaor, and was never

obtrusive in enforcing his practical opinions, except whenthey were assailed by ignorance and unwarrantable assur-

ance. During the period that we labored together, he was

a constant and indefatigable student, taking a wide survey

of the philosophy of medicine. His lectures were always of

a practical nature, and his hospital clinics filled with the

most valuable facts, the result of careful observation. His

deportment towards the junior members of the profession

was universally kind and parental, and he was always ready

to offer them aid in their inquiries. He was totally free

from all professional envy, and his intercourse with his col-

leagues was characterized by the strictest laws of etiquette.

Medicines or money were dispensed by him with like liberal-


ity to remove the sufferings and alleviate the calamities of

the poor. In short, he was liberal to a fault and often care-

less of his own proper interests. He deserves to be recorded

as a successful pioneer in the valuable corps who have pro-

moted the difi'usion of real science in the great west, and his

medical writings I think, may be justly estimated as having

added to the claims which indigenous literature and science

have upon the Confederation of the American Medical Fac-

ulty."

His remains, after being for a time deposited in Lexington,

were transferred to the Episcopal Cemetery in Cincinnati,

where a monument marks their final resting spot.

BBERLY, Samuel, elected Eecorder in 1839. He is

the father of Adam J. Eberly, esq.

EBY FAMILY. This family is an old and numerous

one ; its members being scattered over different parts of

Pennsylvania, the adjoining States of New York and Mary-

land, and likewise reside in Canada and the west.

A perfect list of the individual members could not easily

be had. Neither can all of the existing branches be traced

to the parent stem.

The ancestor who first came to America, and from whom the

greater part of the family has sprung, was named Theodoras.

Theodorus, a Swiss by birth, and a Mennonite in faith,

left his native country on account of religious persecution,

and resided for awhile in the " Palatinate" or " Pfaltz," an

old division in Germany, whose chief towns were Manheim,

Heidelberg, Simmern and Zwei Brucken.

When William Penn, by his agents, offered free homes to

persons of all religious denominations, Theodorus emigrated

to America and settled on Mill Creek, Lancaster county, at

a place lately known as Roland's mill, situated south of NewHollai.d, and near the line of Earl and Leacock townships.

It is said he had five or six sons in his family, skilled in

the various mechanical arts ; so that with their assistance he

built a mill, and erected such other buildings as were needed,

without employing persons outside of his family, except for

the pm-pose of burning charcoal to supply the smith forge,

which they did not themselves suf&ciently understand.


The place of Tlieodorus' birth cannot now be definitely

ascertained, there being no record in existence showing the

fact. Family tradition has it, that he came from Canton" Schweitz," and must therefore have been of a race of hardy

mountaineers.

The date of his arrival in Pennsylvania, is fixed by the

Colonial Eecords, in 1715. And in the same year appears

the names of Jacob Hochstetter, Jacob Kreider, Johannes

Shenk and others. Five years later, in 1720, the family

received an addition by emigration, in the person of Peter

Eby, said to have been a relative of Theodorus ; and still

another much later, whose kinship, however, was never rec-

ognized.

In 1728, it appears that two persons were naturalized un-

der the name of " Abye." These may have been sons of

either Theodorus or Peter, and their names erroneously

spelled by the government agent. It is to be observed

that the descendants of Theodorus have always scrupulously

adhered to the literal translation of the name, while some

of the others have adopted the pronunciation of the Germaninto the English, and wrote themselves " Eaby." So far as

can be judged from the oldest known members, they must

originally have been an active, quick-tempered, brown-eyed,

dark-haired family.

The name of only one of the sons of Theodorus is nowcertainly known, which was Christian.

Christian married a Mayer, and settled on HammerCreek, in Elizabeth township, about three miles north of

Litiz. He died in 1766. His wife died in 1787. They left

a family of ten children as follows : Christian, Johannes, Bar-

bara, married to Jacob Hershey, Peter, Anna, married to

Christian Stauffer, Andrew, George, Elizabeth, married to

Jacob Hershej^, Samuel, and Michael.

His oldest son. Christian Eby, who married Catharine

Bricker, retained the mansion place on Hammer Creek,

which he greatly improved by building a new stone dwell-

ing house, the date of which is 1754, a large barn, and a newmill and a dwelling house and barn for his son John.

He was a large, well-proportioned and athletic man, re-


taining unusual health and vigor of both body and mind,

up to the time of his death. He was elder in the Mennonite

church, and wore a long beard, which in his later years had

turned white. Eegular stated Mennonite meetings were

held at his house, until a building for that special purpose

was erected in the neighborhood.

He lived during the Kevolutionary war, and foraging

parties carried ofif some of his horses and cattle, as also

large quantities of flour and grain out of his mill. On one

occasion his wife's pewter dishes and spoons, and an oven

full of newly baked bread and pies shared the same fate.

During the winter in which the American array was en-

camped at Valley Forge, a number of disabled soldiers were

quartered in the old Lutheran church, near Brickerville,

and were supplied weekly with milk and other necessaries

from his and other neighboring farms.

He died in 1807. His wife, who is said to have been an

amiable and greatly esteemed person, surviving him several

years. He left eleven children, as follows : 1. Elizabeth,

wife of Joseph Bucher, resided near Litiz, and left descend-

ants. 2. Christian, who resided on the home-place. 3.

Peter, who moved to Pequea valley, and afterwards became

a Mennonite Bishop. 4. John, who lived at the mill, adjoin-

ing the old place. 5. Andrew, who died, middle-aged, leav-

ing several children, that afterwards moved to the west. 6.

Catharine, wife of Abraham Burkholder, resided in Earl

township. 7. Barbara, wife of Joseph Snyder, moved to

Canada. 8. Anna, wife of Jacob Wissler, resided in Clay

township. 9. George. 10. Benjamin, who moved to Canada,

was made a minister in the Mennonite church, and succeeded

his brother Peter as Bishop of the Menuonites in Canada.

11. Maria, wife of Jacob Brubacher, resided in Elizabeth

township.

Christian Eby, son of Christian the second, was married

to a Hershey, and left the following children: 1. Catharine,

died unmarried. 2. Elizabeth, wife of David Gingrich, re-

sided in Lancaster county. Left eight children, among whomare Samuel, Christian, and John, who follow farming, and

are useful citizens ; the latter being an active school director.


and treasurer of the board of East Hempfield. 3. Anna,

wife of Samuel Nissley, residing in Eapho township, had a

family of children. 4. Maria, wife of Peter Eby, resided in

Penn township, and left two sons, Seth and Joel. 5. Barbara,

wife of Abraham Eeist, resided in Penn township, and had a

family of children. 6. Rev. Benjamin, served as a minister

among the Mennonites for many years, up to the time of his

death. Retained the old mansion place, at Hammer creek,

the greater portion of his life, and afterwards moved to

Washington county, Maryland, where he died. He left four

sons and one daughter, all residing out of the county. 7.

Christian resided in East Hempfield township, and left three

children. Fanny died unmarried; Ann, wife of John Ging-

rich, and Elizabeth, wife of Abm. Rohrer, both residing in

Hempfield township. 8. Sem resides in Leacock township,

follows farming, a worthy man, and father of a numerous

family. 9. Susan, wife of Henry Stauffer, resides in Rapho

township, and has two sons and two daughters.

Peter Eby, married to Margaret Hess, moved to Salis-

bury township, near the Gap, in 1791, and followed farming

when his time was not taken up by his duties as a minister

of the gospel or bishop in the Mennonite church. He was

ordained a minister in 1800, and the second among his de-

nomination in that neighborhood. Up to 1814 he preached

in private houses; then a school-house was erected, and

afterwards a meeting-house for that special purpose.

This member of the family deserves more than a passing

notice. His fame as a preacher was widely known, and

served to fill the houses to their utmost capacity wherever

he was known to ofiiciate.

The ministers in the Mannonite church are not educated

for the pulpit, nor adopt the ministry as a profession ; they

are chosen by lot, whenever a position is to be filled, from a

small number of the congregation considered most worthy.

Several ministers usually reside convenient to a particular

meeting-house, where they are expected to ofiiciate upon all

ordinary occasions. On communion days, and other special

occasions, a Bishop is required to be present. The bishops

have also certain districts allotted to each, and the privilege


of presiding amongst them is generally accorded to the

senior in office, or the most eminent in abilities. This posi-

tion Peter held for many years, up to the time of his death;

and his authority also extended over the church in Canada,

until he was succeeded there by his younger brother,

Benjamin.

To form some idea of his powers as an orator, it is neces-

sary to state that the principal sermon in the Mennonite

churches was always prefaced by an introductory discourse

from one of the younger ministers present ; and that on

communion day, the subject invariably used to be Bible

history, from Adam down, bringing out the prominent

events and prophecies pointing to the new dispensation.

The introductory discourse generally brought it down to the

time of Kouh and Isaac, when it would be taken up by the

Bishop and continued to the birth of Christ, His ministry on

earth, and His final suffering and death. Old as the story

had become, the audience never tired listening to it from the

eloquent lips of Peter. When he slowly arose, all noise

subsided into an almost painful expectation. Then he would

break the silence with a kind and fatherly greeting to his

hearers, and glide gently into the course marked out for

himself. Proceeding step by step, describing, explaining,

illustrating and sustaining his points as he went along, with

copious quotations from the Scriptures, for all of which he

drew upon his extraordinary memory, he would gradually

warm up in his theme, and, when under full sway, his dis-

course moved along like a deep, clear stream, rolling ocean

-

ward, without a break or ripple, grand, majestic, and irre-

sistible. His powers, however, were brought out most fully

when he came to portray the acts and sufferings of his

Master during his last few days upon earth. The scene in

Gethsemane ; the sleeping disciples;the noise and tumult

breaking upon the stillness of the night, when the armed

men came to take Him ; the doings before the Jewish and

Eoman tribunals;the embarrassment of Pontius Pilate, and

his fruitless devices to save Jesus ; the message sent him by

his wife ; his last resort, when he gave the Jews to choose

1^ between Jesus andBarabbas, and the cries of the infuriated

OF LANCASTEK COUNTY. 181

multitude that pronounced his condemnation. Then the

sorrowful train moving up Calvary ; the preparation to carry

the fearful sentence into execution ; and lastly, the finishing

act in the sublime drama ; the Saviour of mankind nailed

between heaven and earth, His side pierced, and yet, with

parched lips, in the agonies of death, crying to the Father

to forgive ; the darkening of the heavens, the quaking of

the earth, and the elements bearing witness, in thunders and

lightnings, to the divinity of Him that was suffering. All

this he would portray in a manner so vivid that the speaker

would be forgotten in the subject. Then, as his voice, sup-

pressed by emotion, and sinking into silence, would allow

the attention of his hearers to return to the speaker, he

would stand before them, tears streaming down his cheeks,

his countenance glowing, and his raised hands directing the

penitent sinner, as it were, to the foot of a visible cross.

His preaching was altogether extemporaneous, and its effect

upon an audience great. And yet he was not a sensational

preacher;he addressed the judgment as well as the feelings,

and his discourses abounded in arguments and reasonings

that were listened to with admiration by the most polemical

or logical. So much was this the case, that it frequently

happened, that strangers hearing him for the first time,

although otherwise informed, would not be convinced that

he was not a person regularly educated and trained for the

ministry.

His personal appearance also was greatly in his favor, be-

ing somewhat above medium height, well proportioned and

fleshy, with a high, square, even forehead, a finely formed

face, that had it not indicated quite as much force, might have

been called classic; a deportment easy, grave and dignified.

An acquaintance of his, who had heard some of the most

noted orators of the state and nation, in and out of the pul-

pit, gave it as his opinion, that for none of them, it seemed,

had nature done so much towards making the " Orator," as

for this grand old servant of the church.

In the councils over which he presided as Bishop, his

voice was equally potent. His clear intellect enabled him

to probe difficulties to the bottom ; and his impartial decis-


ions pronounced without fear or favor, were acknowledged

to be just, and rarely appealed from.

He died April 6tli, 1843, in the 78th year of his age. His

family consisted of nine children who arrived to adult age;

the names of only three were furnished the author, viz.:

Peter, Christian and Henry, and one of the daughters, mar-

ried to a Stauffer.

John' Eby resided at the mill adjoining the old mansion

place, and was a quiet, unobtr.usive, but prominent man in

the community in which he lived. A miller and a farmer byoccupation, he dealt extensively in produce, which he had

transported to Newport and Philadelphia, keeping a team of

his own for that purpose, and also employing teams of his

neighbors when they could be spared from the farms.

He .was a promoter of improvements. In the day of turn-

pikes he served as a director ; had roads laid out ; one to

open communication between the town of Manheim and the

Ephrata turnpike, at Durlach, and one from his place to

Brickerville, besides others. The first school-house in the

neighborhood was built on his farm, at his own private

expense, where the youth of the neighborhood were educated

by teachers procured by him.

It was mostly through his influence that the Mennonites

of Lancaster county jDurchased a large tract of land in

Canada, to assist their distressed brethren in that part of the

world, and which subsequently became the home of manyof their descendants. He left eight children, viz : 1. Catha-

rine, wife of John Hostetter, who resided in Manor township,

her family consisting of seven children, John, Elias, Jonas,

Abraham D., Martha, Mary and Catharine. 2. Jonas, mar

ried to Fanny Nissley, resides in West Hempfield township

family consisted of six children, who arrived to adult age,

John N., Elias, (now a school director of Rapho), Samuel NSimon J., Henry N., and Fanny. 8. Mary, wife of Jacob

Yundt, resided formerly in Elizabeth township, but moved

to Neipersville, Illinois ; family consisting of seven children.

4. Rebecca, wife of John Bomberger, resided near Manheimborough, and left three children, Martha, Christian and Sem.

5. Elias resided at the mill in Elizabeth township, followed

OF LANCASTKR COUNTY. 183

farming and milling; was elected sheriff of Lancaster county

in 1851, serving three years ; died September, 1862, in the

57th year of his age. Left three children, Simon P., a prac-

ticing attorney in Lancaster city; Mary, and Eliza. 6.

Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Eisser, resided in West Hemp-

field township, now in Mt. Joy borough. Her family con-

sisted of seven children, Ann, wife of Jacob K. Nissley,

Mary, Levi, Jonas, Reuben, Samuel and Joseph. 7. Levi

resided in Rapho township ; followed farming, and left five

daughters, Mary, Sarah, Fanny, Fianna and Rebecca. 8.

Anna, wife of Rev. Samuel Hershey, resides near Manheim

borough. Her family consists of four children, viz: Levi,

Henry, Mary and Anna.

Catharine BrRKHOLDEB had a son by the name of Chris-

tian. He married Veronica Groff, who resided in West Earl

township.

Her grandchildren are: 1st, Seth, moved to Whiteside

county, Illinois. 2. Christiana, late wife of John B. Sen-

senig, resided in Earl township. 3. Elias, moved to White-

side county, Illinois. 4. Ezra, resides in West Earl town-

ship, is a justice of the peace, surveyor and scrivener. 5.

Catharine, wife of John Martin, resides in West Earl town-

ship. 6. Menno, resides in West Earl township. 7. Frances,

wife of Adam Myers, resides in Upper Leacock township.

8. Maria. 9. Groff. 10. Ann. These three reside in West

Earl township. 11. Christian, deceased. 12. Peter, movedto Whiteside county, Illinois.

Anna Wisler's Family. 1. Andrew, moved to Michi-

gan. 2. Jacob, resided in Clay township, farmer left four

children. 3. Christian, resided in Clay township, followed

milling, left four children. 4. Martha, wife of Jacob Lan-

dis, resided in Ephrata township, left three children. 5.

Ezra, resides in Clay township, follows farming, family con-

sisting of two sons. 6. Mary, wife of Levi Erb, moved to

Canada, and now resides in Shenandoah county, Virginia,

family consisting of two daughters. 7. John, moved to

Canada, and afterwards to Shenandoah county, Virginia,

where he was engaged in the iron business, and died leaving

six children. 8. Samuel, resided in Canada, engaged in the


milling and manufacturing business, left family of some five

children. 9. Levi, resides on the old Wissler family man-

sion in Clay township, one of the first places settled in that

neighborhood, and originally owned by a person namedGroff.

Kev. Benjamin Eby, who succeeded his brother Peter as

presiding Bishop of the Mennonites in Canada, was married

to an Erb, and left a family of eleven children, one ofwhomalso became a minister of the Gospel.

He moved to Canada in and settled where Berlin, the county

town of Waterloo county now stands ; but which was at

was at that time an unbroken forest. He died in a few years

ago. His farm, like many others in that county, afterwards

settled upon by Lancaster county people, was a part of the

large tract purchased by the Mennonites, as mentioned in the

notice of his elder brother John.

Two of his sons became printers, and for many years pub-

lished a newspaper, as also hymn books and other religious

works. The latter being done under the supervision of their

father.

Maria Brcbaker's Family. 1. Sem, resides in Eapho

township; has two sons. Martin N". is a justice of the

peace, and follows surveying and scrivening. Rev. Jacob

N. follows farming, and is a minister, of much promise, in

the Mennonite church. 2. Henry E. resides in Elizabeth

township, and is the present owner of the old Eby mansion

place, on Hammer creek, follows farming and has a family.

3. Isaac, resides in Rapho, and is a farmer. 4. Jacob E.,

resides on the old Brubaker mansion place, in Elizabeth

township, and follows farming. 5. Maria, wife of John

Reist, resides in Penn township. 6. , wife of Jacob

Brubaker, resides in Lancaster township. 7. Anna, wife of

Rev. Horst, resides near Manheim borough.

There was a Christian Eby, who resided near Neffsville,

and died in 1867, near Brickerville. He was a descendant

of Theodorus by another branch. Left nine children : John,

resides in Cumberland county ;Eliza, wife of Abm. Metzler;

Christian, resides in Conestoga Centre ; Mary, wife of Erhard

Lutz ; Anna, wife of Elias Barr, resides in Lancaster city


Benjamin moved to Ohio ; Lydia, wife of E. Pfautz ; Ephraim

0., resides near Brickerville ; Catharine, wife of Daniel Flory.

There was an Ephraim Eby, who lived near Elizabethtownj

a much esteemed man. He had seven children ; Jacob, mer-

chant and banker, resides in Harrisburg; Ephraim, merchant,

resides in Philadelphia ; Mrs. Grove, of Columbia, and Mrs.

Weaver, of Lancaster city. Three dead. A third brother,

Jacob, resides in Ohio.

There was a Jacob Eby, a cousin of the elder Christian,

who settled on a farm on Hammer creek, Elizabeth town-

ship, now owned by Jacob E. Hess. He left three sons

:

Abraham married, bat had no children ; Peter, who lived

a hermit (Einsiedler), in a pleasant little home in Elizabeth

township; died in 1836, leaving a will, by which he directed

all his estate and property, of which he possessed a consid-

erable amount, to be distributed in flour among the deserv-

ing poor, irrespective of age, sex, nation, color, or religion.

This was faithfully carried out by his executors, suuh dis-

tribution being made gradually, and lasting three or four

years ; two wagon loads were sent to Lancaster city, and there

distributed from the hardware store of Geo. Louis Mayer.

He also wrote and published a small religious work, most

copies of which were either sold or distributed after his death.

The other son, Abraham, left four children, viz : Abraham,

Peter, John and Jonas. Of these the first named lived in

East Cocalico township, and had eight children. The second

lived near Manheim borough, and had two sons; the third

left one son in Iowa, and the last named resided near Shoe-

neck, and left one daughter, wife of Henry B. Erb.

There was a Peter Eby who settled in Upper Leacock

township, and married a Eoland. His family consisted of

eight children: Peter, Samuel, Henry, John, David, Chris-

tian, Andrew, Ann, wife of Abm. Wenger. The two oldest,

Peter and Samuel,' served in the Eevolutionary war, under

Capt. Eoland, and were present in the American army whenthe British took New York, in 1776. Samuel afterwards

married and resided in Leacock township, and followed farm-

ing. He left four children, Samuel, Jonas, Barbara, wife of

Wm. Good ; Elizabeth, wife of John Good.

15


His son, Jonas Eby, married a Line, and his family con-

sists of three children, viz: Samuel Eby, a justice of the

peace, surveyor and scrivener, and banker, residing in Eliza-

bethtown ; Isaac, and Lavina, wife of Martin Leber.

There was also Isaac Eby, of Leacock township, father of

Major Christian Eby, who at one time was the owner of

Eolanil's mill, where Theodorus settled, and adjoinmg which

some of his descendants still live.

Jacob S. Eby, who resides on a farm in Upper Leacock

township, that has been in the name for about a century, is

the son of Jacob, and a grandson of Daniel Eby.

Mopes and Joel Eby, of Intercourse, are said to be of the

same branch as Jacob S. Eby, although they write their

names Eaby.

There was also Christian Eby, of Eapho township, lately

deceased, who followed farming and milling, and who left a

family of well-doing chiluren, among whom are Jacob and

George.

The only descendants of Samuel Eby, who lived about

two miles south of Manheim, are a daughter, married to

Henry Kurtz, of Mt. Joy borough, and a daughter married

to • Eberly, of Clay township.

ECKMAN, John, a member of the Legislature in 1794.

EDIE, John, elected State Senator in 1792.

EDWAEDS, Thos., a member of the Legislature in the

years 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1735, 1736 and 1739.

EHLEK, John, elected sheriff of Lancaster county in 1842.

EHEENFEIED, Joseph, was born in the city of Mayence,

in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, on the 25th of December,

1783. His parents were members of the Eoman Catholic

faith, and designed him for the priesthood, and sent him to

school to be educated for this purpose. At the age of nine-

teen he left his native country, and emigrated to America

about 1802. He began his career in. this country as a

school teacher, in 1803, in the "Grove School House," in

East Donegal township, Lancaster caunty. Not long after

this period Mr. Ehrenfried received the situation of transla-

tor and book-keeper in Albright's printing establishment, in


the city of Lancaster, where he acquired a practical know-

ledge of the "art preservative of all arts;" and in 1808, in

connection with William Hamilton, he established the

Yolksfreund. a German paper, which he disposed of to John

Baer, in 1817, by whose sons the paper yet continues to be

published. He continued in the establishment of Mr. Baer

as editor, translator and compositor for twenty years, during

which time he translated into German "Buck's Theological

Dictionary," and published in German the works of Dietrich

Phillips; wrote and published in German " Ehrenfried's Col-

loquial Phrases," besides a number of other works.

About 1837 he made two visits to his native country, and

after his return he removed to Harrisburg, the capital of the

State, and published the Vaterland's Waechter ; and during

the administration of Governor Eitner, he held the office of

German State printer. He subsequently established the

Friedensboten, a German newspaper, at Allentown, Pa., which

he disposed of some time thereafter, and accepted the office

of Deputy Eegister of Wills, of Lancaster county, in 1846,

which he filled until the autumn of 1860, performing the

duties thereof entirely to the satisfaction of his superior

officer and the community at large, and retiring only at the

dictation of age and increasing infirmity.

In 1809 Mr. Ehrenfried married Mrs. Ann Smith, formerly

Miss Ann Hubley, a daughter of Bernard Hubley, esq., of

Lancaster city, and had celebrated both his silver and his

golden wedding days, an event that happens to so few in pro-

portion to the number of marriages. About the year 1816

he became a receiver of the doctrines of the New Church

(Swedenborgian), through the instrumentality of Professor

Frederick Damish, a Saxon music teacher, a congenial and

intimate friend. In 1835 or 1836 he became connected with

the "Lancaster New Jerusalem Society," and held the office

of president for twenty years. In the welfare of his church

Mr. Ehrenfried always manifested a deep interest, as did he

also in that of the church at large. He was cotemporary

with Damish, YouBg, Girling, and Keefer.

Mr. Ehrenfried died March 6th, 1862, in the 79th year of

his age. In his conduct and deportment he was one of the


meekest of men, was most highly esteemed by all classes of

citizens, and we hazard the assertion that he died without

an enemy. He was an industrious and working man, and

in addition to his usual vocation did much in compiling

and translating from the English into the German language.

Only a short time before his death he was engaged in the

translation of Noble's Lectures, for the Monatschrift.

The following, as illustrative of his entire rectitude of

principle, deserves to be recorded. Having proved unfor-

tunate, he became involved in debt, and all his property

passed from his hands. After living in Harrisburg and

having regained a footing, he visited Lancaster and gave

public announcement in the papers, that he would meet his

creditors on a certain day,, and pay them his indebtedness,

at a place specified. He met his creditors, according to

announcement, and paid all his debts, great and small, and

from that day forth acted upon the scriptural injunction,

" Owe no man anything."

EICHHOLTZ, Henry, was, in September, 1818, appointed

Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of the Lancaster district

,

in the room of John Hoff, deciâsed.

EICHHOLTZ, Jacob, was born in the borough of Lancas-

ter, in the year 1776, and shortly after the declaration of

American Independence. He, in after years, congratulated

himself in having the fortune to be born an American instead

of a British subject. His parents were of German ancestry,

and having a large family, were not in circumstances to

afford the subject of our notice more than a limited English

education. His father and three of his brothers bore arms

in the struggle of the American Colonies for independence.

At the early age of seven years, he showed signs of that

inborn trait which, in after-life, enrolled him as a painter of

wide repute, and rendered him a marked man in his day.

It was as a child up in his father's garret with a piece of red

chalk, that he was in the habit of delineating the infantile

specimens of his art upon the walls; but his father was

unable to appreciate the budding genius, and little heeded

these monitions of superior intellect. Besides a few lessons

obtained from a sign painter, young Eichholtz received


no instruction in tliat art for the knowledge of whicli his

whole soul was aspiring ; and he, in after years, was in

the habit of remarking the intense agony that seized him

when the sad tale of the sign painter's suicide was brought

to his ears, occasioned by unrequited love. All the bright

hopes that had dawned upon his youthful vision seemed

in this occurrence as buried forever. Sadness for a time

seated itself upon the throne of his spiritual existence, and

but blank grief seemed to be invited in the prospect of his

future career. The instruction in painting he had already

received was but as nothing, but the little seed had been

sown in a fertile soil.

He was next apprenticed by his father to learn the cop-

persmith business, and whilst engaged in this business, his

predilection was still showing itself in the sketches of his

fellow apprentices pictured on the walls of the shop with

charcoal. After the expiration of his apprenticeship, he

began business as a coppersmith upon his own account; but

ever and continually the ruling passion of his inner life was

manifesting itself. Chance, as it were, brought a painter to

Lancaster, and this formed a pivot of his after career. Henow had an opportunity to gather from this painter all the

information of which he was in possession as regards the art

of his aspirations. Prior to this period, he says :" I had

made some rude efforts, with terrible success, having noth-

ing more than a boot-jack for a palette, and anything in the

shape of a brush, for at that time brushes were not to be had

even in Philadelphia. At length I was fortunate enough

to get a few half-worn brushes from Sully, when on the eve

of his departure for England. This was a great feast for

me, and enabled me to go on until others were to be had."

Having by this time a family of several children, he

hesitated the abandonment of the coppersmith business for

that of painting, not being fully convinced of the pecuniary

result that might follow such a step. To attempt to support

his family by painting, seemed hazardous, and his prudent

nature forbade a doubtful enterprise. He therefore still car-

ried on the business of his trade, and alternated his time be-

tween coppersmithing and painting. The specimens of his


skill as a painter went forth, and his reputation steadily

grew. His shop became the resort of the fashionable and

wealthy. It was no unusual thing for him to be called out

of his shop to see a fair lady who desired her picture painted.

The coppersmith immediately became the face painter. Atlength his patronage in the career of his choice enabled himto abandon the coppersmith business and devote all his time

to painting. His fame as a painter spread, and he was called

upon by the highest magnates of America to have their

likenesses painted. Among others he painted a portrait of

Nicholas Biddle, President of the United States Bank.

He was now urged by a friend, who appreciated his

superior abilities, to visit Boston, then the seat of the Ameri-

can fine arts. He resolved to act upon this suggestion. Hevisited Boston, and was accorded a handsome reception bygentlemen who were able to appreciate his skill. He took

with him a specimen of his workmanship, and called upon

the eminent painter, Stuart. Of this interview, Eichholtz

says :" Here I had a fiery trial to undergo. My picture was

placed alongside of the best of his hand, and that lesson I

considered the best I had ever received. The comparison

was, I thought, enough ; and if I had vanity before I went,

it all left me before my return." Stuart, however, assured

him that he should not be discouraged, and that the speci-

men of his skill warranted his perseverance.

Upon his return, finding his native town too small to sup-

port a painter, he removed to Philadelphia, where, by an

incessant practice of ten years and constant employment, he

gathered a competence, and afterwards returned to his native

town. He died May 11th, 1842.

The following is a copy of Sully's account of his first

meeting with Mr. Eichholtz :

" When Governor Snyder was elected I was employed by Jlr. Binns

to go on to Lancaster and paint a portrait of the n'ew chief magistrate

of the State. Eichholtz was then employing aU his leisure hours, stolen

from the manufacturing of tin kettles and coffee-pans, in painting ; his

attempts were hideous. He kindly offered me the use of his painting

room, which I readily accepted, and gave him, during my stay in Lan-

caster, all the professional information I could impart, (in that interim

he had visited and copied Stuart). I was much surprised and gratified.


I have no doubt that Eichholtz would have made a first-rate painter,

had he begun early in life, with the usual advantages.

In my intercourse with Eichholtz I have admired in him a man of

frank, simple and unpretending manners, whose conversation markedhis good sense, and whose conduct evinced that propriety which has led

to his success and ultimate independence. Mr. T. B. Freeman informs

me that, in 1831, he saw at Harrisburg a portrait, by Eichholtz, which

excited his curiosity ; and going to Lancaster, called upon him and

invited him to Philadelphia, where the first portrait he painted wasFreeman's, and soon afterwards Commodore Gales." Dunlap's History

of the Arts of Design, Vol. II, p. 338.

EICHHOLTZ, Leonaed, was an innkeeper, and kept the

tavern with the sign of the " Bull's Head." He was father

of Jacob Eichholtz, the painter, and died April 26th, 1817,

in the 67th year of his age. He had been for many years an

elder of Trinity Lutheran church, and a highly esteemed

and respected citizen.

BLLMAKER, Amos, son of Nathaniel EUmaker, was born

February 2nd, 1787, in New Holland, Lancaster county, Pa.

Giving early indications of marked ability, his father deter-

mined upon giving him a first-class education, and for this

purpose sent him to Yale College, where he finished his col-

legiate career ; afterwards he completed his law studies at

the celebrated law school, under Judge Reeves, at Litch-

field, Connecticut.

He began the practice of his profession at Harrisburg,

and was not long in establishing himself in his profession.

In 1816 he married Mary E., daughter of Thomas Elder,

esq., of that place. He was an ofBcer in the army that

marched from Pennsylvania to the defence of Baltimore, in

the war of 1812. He was appointed Prosecuting Attorney for

Dauphin county, and was elected three times from the same

county a member of the House of Representatives. In 1814

he was elected a member of Congress, but declined to take

his seat, having been appointed President Judge of the dis-

trict composed of the counties of Dauphin, Lebanon and

Schuylkill. He resigned his judgeship and was appointed

Attorney- General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,

which position he also resigned, and afterwards, in 1821,

removed to Lancaster, where he began the practice of his

profession. Here, as a lawyer, he met with extraordinary


success, and retired from his labors in independence. Hewas the candidate of the Anti-Masonic party for Vice Presi-

dent of the United States, in 1832. In 1834 he received the

next highest vote to James Buchanan for United States

Senator, when the latter was elected. He died November28th, 1851.

Amos E llmaker possessed, in a considerable degree, the

particular characteristics of his father. He was no courier

of popular favor, but on many occasions, when proffered,

he refused to accept distinguished stations. Upon the acces-

sion of James Monroe to the Presidency, Mr. Ellmaker was

tendered the appointment of Secretary of War, a post for

which he was admirably qualified, but which he promptly

declined, notwithstanding the urgent solicitations of his

friends to accept the same. He preferred the quiet enjoy-

ments of private life to all the pomp and consequence of

official position.

Mr. Ellmaker possessed, in an eminent degree, those

characteristics that go to make up the soul of a great man.

In addition to a vast fund of information on all subjects, he

possessed a lively, social disposition, that made his presence

pleasing to all; and no one had more of that elevation of

mind and generosity of soul which distinguish men of rare

endowments, than he.

In all the relations and positions of life, he was a model

worthy of imitation. He was distinguished for great cour-

tesy to the younger members of the profession, and was

ready at all times to take by the hand jôung men struggling

to rise by their own industry and merits. As a lawyer, he

always advised the settlement of differences by amicable

adjustment, without resort to legal means; and many there

are who, having taken his advice, escaped the costs and har-

assing attendance upon courts from protracted and ruinous

law-suits. As counsel, his effort always was to have the

parties to settle their differences among themselves, although

such advice was against his interest as an attorney. But he

took it be his 'duty to guard the interests of his client,

and not look upon him as a bird caught in a snare to be

plucked.


He entertained the highest regard for strict integrity, and

no one devoid of this trait of character could secure his con-

fidence or friendship. His associates must be free even from

the suspicion of a lack of principle. He regarded honesty

as the foundation of human excellence, but with those lacking

this ingredient of character, he chose to have little inter-

course, as they were unable to command his esteem.

He took a lively interest in all the political movements of

the day ; and although not conspicuous as a politician, yet

his views and opinions had great weight in controling the

course of public aliairs. Indeed, his sentiments in all the

movements of the Anti-Masonic and Whig parties were

anxiously sought for and highly respected. His judgment

was rarely at fault, and his inflexible honesty and steadiness

of purpose caused his counsels always to be regarded as

wisdom. He continued to enjoy the esteem and high con-

sideration of his numerous friends unimpaired until his death.

Nathaniel Ellmaker, esq., son of Amos Ellmaker, has for

many years been one of the leading lawyers of Lancaster.

His Orphans' Court business is, perhaps, the largest of any

lawyer at the Lancaster bar.

ELLMAKEE, Leonard, emigrated from Germany and

settled in Earl township, in 1726. His son, Nathaniel E11-.

maker, was elected a member of the Pennsylvania State Sen-

ate in 1796. He was noted for his indomitable persever-

ance, indeijendence, integrity and love of truth, and bore the

reputation of being a man of considerable ability.

ENGLE, Henry M., a leading farmer and fruit grower of

East Donegal township, Lancaster county. He was one of

the first in the county who began fruit growing as a busi-

ness pursuit. He was elected President of the Agricultural

and Horticultural Society, in January, 1869, a position he

has held by annual reelections up to the present time. Hewas elected a member of the Legislature in 1870, receiving

the support of both political parties. Mr. Engle bears an

unimpeachable reputation for honesty, entertains no politi-

cal aspirations, and became a candidate for ofiice, on the

occasion above referred to, simply in deference to the wishes

of friends.


*EEB FAMILY. Nicholas Erb, the first known ancestor

of this name, came to America with his family in the year

1722. He was a Swiss by birth, and, it is said, his father

desired him to become a Catholic priest, but he joined the

Mennonites and left his native country on account of religious

persecutions. He resided for some time, before emigrating

to this country, at a place called " Wester Walter Hoff."

Where this place of temporary residence was located, is not

known. In all probability it must have been a farm on the

outposts of some province in Germany that had dangerous

neighbors, and the time must have been somewhat turbu-

lent, as it is known that he lived under the promised protec-

tion of his Lord or Superior, and in case of an unexpected

attack, it had been agreed that he should give notice byfiring a gun. It is also related that, either to try the effi-

ciency of the signal or the faithfulness of his landlord, he

fired the gun, and in a short time had the satisfaction of see-

ing his protector, with his retainers, coming to his assistance

as fast as horses could bring them.

He settled on Hammer creek, in Warwick township, near

where the mill, lately owned by David Erb, one of his

descendants, now stands. He was a farmer by occupation.

He had a family of five children—four sons and one daugh-

ter ;the latter married to a Johns.

John, eldest son of Nicholas Erb, came to America with his

father, married a Johns from Leacock township, lived for

some time with his father, but subsequently moved near to

Manheim, where he died. His children were : Jacob, John,

Christian, Daniel, Peter and Magdalena.

Nicholas Erb, second son of Nicholas Erb.

Christian Erb, third son of Nicholas Erb.

Jacob Erb, a prominent clergyman in the United Brethren

congregation, stationed at the Otterbein church, in Balti-

more, and frequently presiding elder, is a descendant of either

Nicholas or Christian.

Jacob Erb, fourth son of Nicholas Erb, resided on Ham-

mer creek, in Warwick township, where Erb's mill now

stands. He was a leading man among the German popula-

*Coutributed by Levi Reist, esq., of Warwick.


tion iu the uorthern pan of this county from 1760 to 1790.

He was a member of the Legislature when it sat in Phila-

delphia in 1787, 1788, 1789, and 1790. He had two sons,

John and Christian.

Magdalena Erb, daughter of Nicholas Erb, married to a

Johns, of Leacock township.

Jacob Erb, son of John, and a grandson of Nicholas Erb,

resided near the Mouth of Cocalico creek ; had three sons,

John, David and Emanuel. The two former settled in Yorkcounty, Pennsylvania, and Emanuel kept the homestead.

He had one son, Jacob, who still owns the home place, to-

gether with some five or six hundred acres of land in War-wick and West Earl townships, and is extensively engaged

in farming and stock-raising.

John Erb, son of John and grandson of Nicholas Erb, had

one son also named John, who settled in Conoy township,

from whence he moved to Linn county, Indiana, with all

of his family except Christian S., who now resides in Conoy;

a business man, justice of the peace, and bank director.

Christian Erb, son of John and grandson of Nicholas Erb,

born February 6th, 1755, died August 1st, 1812, resided in

Warwick township, about one mile north of Litiz ; and was

married to Anna Bomberger, born February 8th, 1752, died

September 17th, 1823. She is reputed to have been a stately

and prim old lady, who, being a Alennonite, wore her dresses

plain, but of rich materials, with a snowy kerchief and cap.

She was well versed in the Scriptures. They had two sons :

Christian and Jacob, between whom their father's place was

divided—and a daughter, married to Henry Uostetter, whomoved to Hanover, York county, Pennsylvania. Christian,

the eldest son, moved to the neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio>

having sold his part of the farm.

Jacob Erb, the younger son of Christian, and great grand-

son of Nicholas Erb, born March 7th, 1781, resided the

greater part of his life on the old farm, subsequently movedwith his son Henry to Penn township, and afterwards into

Manheim township, about one mile north of Lancaster, where

he died. He was an active business man in the earlier part

of his life and carried on farming and distilling. He was


married to Elizabeth Becker, who, dying young, left him a

family of seven small children to raise, which parental duty

he performed in the most commendable manner, never marry-

ing the second time. He no doubt inherited his mother's

taste as to dress, and was known as " gentleman Erb." Hebecame a member of the Legislature in 1833-34 and 1884-

35, serving two terms. He was elected on the Anti-Masonio

ticket, but declined to follow the ultra men of that party in

their extreme measures (of whom Thaddeus Stevens, at that

time also in the House, was one), and became classed with

those calling themselves National men. His children were

Ann, married to Christian Kauffman, moved to Ohio, whohad four sons in the Union army. Henry, married to Eliz-

abeth Spickler, now living in Manheim township with his

son-in-law, Jacob Myer. Sarah, married to Joseph Bomber-

ger, lives in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and whose

son, Jacob Bomberger, was a member of the Legislature

from that county in 1872. Eliza, married to Elias Eby, ex-

sheriff. Catharine, married to David Witwer, moved to

Franklin county. Levi, married to Mary Trissler, now re-

siding at Columbia furnace; Virginia, and Mary, married to

Elias Bomberger, living in Maryland.

Daniel Erb, son of John, and grandson of Nicholas Erb,

had four sons : John, Joseph, Daniel and Jacob. The first

named was a minister of the old Menuonite persuasion, and

moved many years ago to Cumberland county. Joseph had

one son, Daniel S., who resides in Penn township, and fol-

lows farming. Daniel has three sons, David W., Daniel W.,

and John. The old home place that has been in the family

for over a century, is owned by Daniel W.

; and Israel Gr.

Erb, esq., a rising young man in the neighborhood, is the

son of David W.Peter Erb, son of John, and grandson of Nicholas Erb,

had four sons: Isaac, Jacob, Christian, and another whomoved to Canada. Isaac had three sons : Henry, Samuel and

Isaac, who live in Lebanon county.

Magdalena Erb, daughter of John, and grand-daughter of

Nicholas Erb, married a man named Gingrich, whose family

moved to Erie county. Pa.


John Erb, son of Jacob, and grandson of Nicholas Erb

had several sons ; one of them, named after himself, wholived in Elizabeth township, near Durlach, was a miller and

farmer, and kept the tavern where, for many years, the

elections were held ; was a prominent politician from 1825

to 1840;

filled the ofiice of County Commissioner from 1833

to 1836, where his economical management of county affairs

made him popular. He was also a candidate for sheriif in

1833 on the same ticket with Gen. David Miller. He had

four children : Hiram, now residing in Lebanon county

;

John B., residing in Litiz ; Henry B., residing near Schceneck

;

and a daughter, married to Geo. Steinmetz, residing on the

old place, now in Clay township. His sons are all intelligent

and well to do men; John B. follows surveying and

scrivening, and served many years as a j^^stice of the peace

while living in Clay township.

ESHLEMAN, David G., was born and raised in Stras-

burg township,' Lancaster county. He graduated at Dick-

inson College, Carlisle, in the year 18-40. He entered, as a

student of law, the ofiice of John E. Montgomery, esq., and

was admitted as a member of the bar in 1842. After coming

to the bar he was not long in establishing himself in his

^ Strashurg township was established before or about the time of thg

creation of the county of Lancaster. As it was established, it included

the township of Paradise, which has since been cut off. The part that

still retains the original name was settled chiefly by Swiss Mennonites,

who emigrated by way of HoUand, from 1710 to 1725. The descendants

of the early settlers are still to be found in the township, such as the

Herrs, Groft's, Eshlemans, Brenemans, Nefifs, Lefevres, Kendigs, Brack-

bills, Brabakers, Buckwalters, Leamans, Howrys, Millers, Lantzs, Hos-

tetters, Myers, &c., &c.

The buildings and improvements of all new communities seem bo

pass through formations similar to the geological primary, secondary,

and tertiary, before they become ijermanent. In this county we have

pretty generally reached the tertiary period. Many buildings of the

secondary period remain, however, and occasionally we find remaining

one of the primary period. Of this class there are several of minorimportance in the township of Strasburg, three of which are deserving

of notice.

One of them, perhaps the oldest large bouse in the county, is situate

about a mOe east of the borough of Strasburg, and in the occupancy of

Dr. Abraham Eshleman. The old portion of the house was finished in

the first decade of the last century, and the " new end " was finished in


profession, to the duties of whicli he has applied himself

with great assiduity up to the present time. He was one of

the representatives from Lancaster county, in the Legisla-

ture, during the sessions of 1848 and 1849.

Mr. Eshleman has always been a close and industrious

student, and he justly ranks amongst the best read membersof the Lancaster bar. His mind is of a juridical cast, and

his opinions upon critical points of law are frequently sought

by the other members of the profession. In 1871 he was

the Democratic candidate for judge of the several coui'ts

of Lancaster county.

EVANS, David, was born in Manheim township, Febru-

ary 21st, 1827. His father was of Irish, and his mother of

German descent. He was sent by his parents to the commonschools of the neighborhood, and acquired a knowledge of

the branches then customary to be taught, viz.: reading,

writing and arithmetic. When about thirteen years of age,

he attended a quasi select school, taught by a man namedSutherland, and here he began the study of the advanced

branches of an education. He worked on the farm and also

aided in the butchering business, which was the trade of his

father.

He early evinced a great fondness for reading, and pro-

1741. It is at present occupied by the fifth generation, as a family resi-

dence, of the family now represented by Jacob Eshleman, of Paradise,

Dr. Isaac S. Eshleman, of Philadelphia, Dr. Frank Eshleman, of Down-ingtown, Dr. Abram Eshleman, of Strasburg, Benjamin Eshleman, of

East Lampeter, and David G. Eshleman, esq., of Lancaster.

On the adjoining farm stands an old miU, one and a half stories high,

with a saw-miU attached. The fu-st pair of French bui-rs introduced

into Lancaster county are still in use in that mill. The mill was built

ifl the early part of the last century, by Jacob Eshleman, and although

of such diminutive and insignificant appearance now, that it would

scai-cely attr;ict the notice of a traveler, it was considered of sufficient

consequence, at the time of its erection, to be called " Eshleman's big

miU."About one and a half miles south of the borough of Strasburg, on

the road to New Providence, just beyond the residence of the late Jacob

Netf, stands the old mansion house of the Neff family. This house was

erected in the second decade of the last century. It stands up on a

knoU, which rises abruptly from the banks of Beaver creek, and is

remarkable on account of its position and its antiquated and venerable

a.ppearance.


cured for himself and read some of the most valuable and useful

books. When about twenty years of age, he began teaching

common schools, which pursuit he followed for some years.

Not long after this, he entered as a student, the Strasburg

academy, then taught by Rev. D. McCarter. The last year

he attended at this institution, he was employed in the capa-

city of an assistant teacher, and taught the lower classes.

After leaving this place, he attended for some time at the

"White Hall academy, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania,

and next entered the Sophomore class in Franklin and Mar-

shall college, where he graduated in 1858, obtaining a divi-

sion of the Marshall honor with a classmate named Theodore

Fisher. His theme on commencement day, was " the Consti-

tution of the United States."

He began teaching in Perry county, Pf'nnsvlvauia, in

September of the same year in which he graduated. He•was married in the following month, and in February, 1859,

was appointed County Superintendent of Common Schools

of Lancaster county, in the room of Eev. John S. Crum-

baugh, deceased. He was elected to the same ofiice in May,

1860, by the Directors' Convention, and thrice reelected in the

years 1863, 1866 and 1869. He held the office up to the

1st of June, 1872.1

EVANS, James, was born in Little Britain township,

Lancaster county, in 1791. In 1812 he moved to the

borough of Lancaster, and in 1814 entered into partnership

with his brother, Eobert, in the dry goods business, and so

continued to act as partner with him up to 1821:. Prior to

removing to Lancaster he had himself engaged, in the vicinity

of his birth, in the mercantile business, individually, for

about one year and a half. In 1824, having established a

wide reputation for business sagacity, he was elected cashier

of the Lancaster Bank. Dr. F. A. Muhlenberg was at that

time President of the Bank. This position of cashier Mr.

Evans held for a number of years. March 7th, 1842, he waselected President of the same Bank, and this office he held

' When Mr. Evans entered upon the duties of his office, in 1859, the

average salary of male teachers in the county was ^37.37, and of female

teachers $24.18. In 1870 the average salary of males veas $38.85, and offemales 34.44.


until November 22d, 1849. During the time he officiated as

President of the institution, he managed its affairs with great

'

financial success ; all this time it was in the highest degree of

credit, and its notes passed at par throughout the whole

country. Indeed, it is but the truth when it is said, that to

him the institution owed its prosperity, credit and financial

success. From the time Mr. Evans ceased to be the head of

the institution, the downfall of this old and reliable bankdated its origin.

James Evans was a man of strict integrity, of irreproach-

able and upright conduct, and universally esteemed and re-

spected by his fellow citizens. He was a man of a very

generous nature, liberal in his charities when worthy objects

presented themselves; yet he gave in no ostentatious man-

ner, and sought rather that his gifts should be known only

by the recipients thereof.

As a man of business, he was shrewd and penetrating;

and it is not too much to say, that he had no superiors as to

business qualities in the county, and but few, if any, in the

State. In his opinions he was very liberal and high-toned,

and never permitted difference of views to mar social rela-

tions between himself and his associates. He was no aspirant

for public office, and though this was within his reach, he

rather shrunk from cares of this character, devoting his

attention simply to business affairs. He died October 12th,

186-i.

EVANS, Robert, brother of James Evans, was born in

Little Britain township, October 4th, 1791. His father,

John Evans, was one of the early settlers of Lancaster

county, having emigrated from Wales about the year 1740.

Having received the rudiments of an education, customary

in his day, he was apprenticed, on the 24th of November,

1807, to Michael Gundaker, (a leading merchant of Lancas-

ter), to learn the mercantile business ; and, after serving

three years, he married Anna Margaret, a daughter of Mr.

Gundaker. He set up as a merchant in Lancaster, and con-

tinued to follow this business to the end of his life. In 1819

he was appointed by Phineas Ash, Wm. B. Ross and Peter

HoU, Commissioners of Lancaster county, to the office of


County Treasurer, and was twice re-appointed to the

the same ofS.ce, in the years 1820 and 1821. Amongst those

recommending Mr. Evans to the office of Treasurer, we find

the names of several of the principal leading citizens of

Little Britain township, viz : Jeremiah Brown, sr., William

Brown, Jeremiah Brown, jr., John Kirk, Nicholas Boyd,

(father of the late sheriff Boyd), Timothy Haines, Isaac

Stubbs, William McCullooh, and Slater Brown. Mr. Evansserved for many years as a director of the old Farmers'

Bank of Lancaster, and acted besides in many fiducia,ry

positions of trust and responsibility, and was esteemed as

one of the most useful and influential citizens of his day.

He died November 2nd, 1831, aged -10 years and 29 days.

The present Eobert A. Evans and Walter Gr. Evans, esqs.,

of Lancaster city, are sons of Robert Evans.

EVANS, Samuel, elected Clerk of Quarter Sessions andOyer and Terminer, in 1857.

EWING, A. Scott, a member of the Legislature in

18-19.

EWING, General James, was born about the year 1736,

in Manor township, Lancaster county. His father had emi-

grated from Ireland at an early day, and settled in Manortownship, and when the subject of this notice was but a boythey removed to Hellam township, York county. At the

age of eighteen he was engaged with his associates in re-

pelling the incursions of the Indians. He served in tlie cam-

paign under General Braddock, and was a participant in the

action near Pittsburg, in which that brave but ill-fated offi-

cer was killed and his army routed. James Swing served

his coiintry in the capacity of a brigadier general, attached

to the flying camp during the Eevolution.

In the character of civilian, he was also a prominent and

influential member of society. He was a member of the

Legislature for several years, and filled many other positions

of public trust. He was a man highly esteemed by his fel-

low citizens, and died in March, 1806, aged seventy years.

EWING, Thomas, a member of the Legislature in 1739,

1740, 1741 and 1742.

16


F.

FAHNESTOCK FAMILY* The Fahnestocks are de-

scendants of one Dietrich Fahnestock, who came from

Prussia in the year 1724. He had seven sons, viz : Casper,

Peter, Dietrich, John, Benjamin, Daniel, and Borieus ; of

the two latter no record can be found. Benjamin had two

sons, George and Dietrich, from whom the druggists of

Pittsburg have descended. John had two sons, Jacob and

Henry. Dietrich, who was a physician, had three sons,

Samuel, Daniel and John, who were all physicians. Casper

had three sons, Charles, Dietrich and Daniel. Peter had

five sons, Samuel, Obed, Peter, Conrad and Andrew ; the

latter has been a Seventh-day Baptist minister, living at

times at Antietam, and latterly at Ephrata. Conrad was a

printer, and published a paper at Harrisburg, during the

alien and sedition acts, and being a warm supporter of

Mr. Jeiferson, was outspoken against the administration of

Mr. Adams. He was, in consequence, arrested, with others,

and thrown into prison. It was, however, just upon the eve

of the election, and he was released a few days afterwards.

He had but one son, Peter, who resides at present at Ephrata.

Peter has three sons, Samuel and Eeuben, both residing in

Ephrata township, and John, residing in Ohio.

There are Fahnestocks residing in Lancaster, and also in

Lebanon county, who are no doubt descendants of the same

family.

FAH2SI ESTOCK, Dr. Samuel, a leading physician of

Lancaster for many years. He practiced medicine in Lan-

caster for nearly forty years.

In the autumn of 1777, when the wounded soldiers were

transferred from Brandywine to the village of Ephrata, the

subject of this notice, being about fourteen years of age, by

his unwearied attention and the coolness he displayed,

attracted the attention of General Hand, himself an eminent

physician, who advised his father to educate him for a

physician. The father accepted the suggestion, and his

*Contributed by I. F. Bomberger, of Litiz.


future career fully justified the prophetic spirit of General

Hand.

As he increased in years and practice he became especially

distinguished for his treatment of fevers, and the remarkable

success that attended the exercise of his skill throughout

the prevalence of an eventful epidemic, won for him the

most flattering encomiums of the distinguished Dr. Rush.

His practice, for many years, extended far beyond the limits

of Lancaster county. He died December 8th, 1836, in the

73rd year of his age.

FAHNESTOCK, William M., was a man somewhat

fond of antiquarian research. In 1835 he published a his-

torical sketch of Ephrata, together with a concise account

of the Seventh-day Baptists.

FERREE, Isaac, a member of the Legislature in 1793,

1794, 1802, 1803 and 180i.

FERREE, Joseph, a member of the Legislature in 1770,

1771, 1772, 1773 and 1774.

FERREE, James B., elected Register in 1839.

FISHER, Joseph W., was born October 16th, 1814, in

Northumberland county, Pennsylvania. He received the

simple rudiments of an English education, and when quite

young was hired out by his parents to work upon a farm till

about the age of fifteen, when he was apprenticed to learn

the tailoring business. In this occupation he spent the early

years of his manhood. In the year 1840 he removed to

Columbia, Lancaster county, where he pursued his trade for

several years. In 1848 he was nominated and elected a

member of the House of Representatives. In 1850 he was

elected a justice of the peace, and so entirely did he satisfy

his constituents, that he was reelected to the same office in

1855, receiving every vote save six. During the time he

was acting in the capacity of justice of the peace he read law,

and was admitted to the Lancaster bar in 1856, and was not

long in stepping into a fair practice.

He was always an active and leading politician; a Whigduring the existence of that party, and upon its dissolution

he became a Republican. In the campaign of 1860 he took

20-i * BIOGEAPHICAL HISTOEY

a very active part, and assumed tlie ground that if Lincoln

was elected and war resulted, he would enter the ranks in

defence of the flag of the nation. Upon the bombardmentof Fort Sumter, therefore, although over age, he enlisted as

a private, and was immediately elected Captain of what was

afterwards Company K, of the Fifth Pennsylvania Reserves.

"When the regiment was organized, he was elected Lieutenant

Colonel, and served with the regiment through the'campaign

of 1862, and afterwards participated in the engagements

known as the seven days' battles before Richmond, also at

Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam. He led the heroic

charge, consisting of a part of the Fifth and Eighth regiments

of the Reserves, and killed, wounded and captured the

Seventh and Seventeenth Virginia regiments, m which en-

gagement Col. Simmons was killed. Col. Fisher was com-

plimented by Gen. Lemoyne, commanding the division, and

recommended for promotion by Gens. McCall, Meade, Rey-

nolds and Lemoyne, to a Brigadier Generalship.

Becoming Colonel, in course, upon the death of Colonel

Simmons, at the second battle of Bull Bun, he was not able

to command the same, owing to injuries received from the

fall of his horse. At the battle of South Mountain he left a

sick bed to lead his regiment, and he charged with it up the

northern slope of the mountain, and drove the enemy from

the summit down the southern and western slopes, and cap-

tured a large number of prisoners. He was complimented

by Gens. Meade, Lemoyne and Duryea for the undaunted

heroism displayed by him in this engagement, and was again

strongly urged by them as worthy of promotion. Being

with his regiment in the battle of Antietam, he repulsed an

attack during the night, of the Fourth Texas regiment, and

drove them in utter confusion.

He was transferred by Gen. Meade from the first to the

third brigade, to take command of the latter, which com-

mand he retained until the close of the third year for which

he had enlisted. He participated in nearly all the battles of

his division until the close of his term of service. At the

battle of Gettysburg he led his brigade up and took what is

known as Round Top Mountain, and held it. From Gettys-


burg he crossed, with his brigade, the Potomac, Rappahan-

nock and Eapidan ; and left his sick bed, against the protests

of his surgeon, to participate in the battle of Mine Run, in

November, 1863.

After this battle the army went into winter quarters, and

he had command of the post at Manassas Junction, and

remained there till April. After the army got in readiness

he moved his brigade from Culpepper, and was in all the

battles of the Wilderness, and closed his term of service on

the 30th of May, 1864, with a brilliant victory at Bethesda

church, near where he had participated in his first engage-

ment.

He then left for home, where he arrived about the middle

of June, intending to remain. However, upon the invasion

of Maryland and Pennsylvania by the rebel forces, under

Generals Early and Breckinridge, at the urgent solicitation

of Govei'nor Curtin, he raised and took command of the

195th regiment, and aided in the defence of the Border

States, during the one hundred days. He moved with his

regiment up the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, as far as

Hedgesville, in West Virginia. Upon the expiration of the

one hundred days period of service, he urged his men to

reenlist, and succeeded in inducing about 300 of them to do

so. He then returned home in JSovember, 186-4, and in the

following February, was solicited by Governor Curtin to

take command of the 300 men, (before stated to have reen-

listed) and to raise, if possible, sufficient recruits to complete

the full strength of the regiment. This he did, and succeeded

in swelling the regiment to 1300 men, of which he was com-

missioned Colonel on the 25th of Febraary, 1865. He was

with this regiment in the Shenandoah valley, up to August

of that year, and being transferred to Washington, there

remained in command of his regiment up to January 31st,

1866, when the regiment was mustered out and discharged

from service.

During the time he was in the Shenandoah valley, in 1865,

he had. the command of a brigade, composed of the 192d,

195th and 21rlth regiments, and also the 192d and 193d regi-

ments of New York. Being recommended for promotion


by all the superior officers under whom he served, he wasraised to the rank of Brigadier General, in 1865.

General Fisher participated in about thirty different en-

gagements of the war. He was never absent from service

without leave of his superior officer, and was never repri-

manded for dereliction of duty. In all things he was a

faithful and efficient officer, and won the esteem of both

officers and men. He was frequently detailed to sit upon

courts martial, and was for sis weeks president of a board

of examiners, to examine officers for promotion. His highest

ambition, as an officer, was to save his men, and he had the

good fortune to secure their unlimited confidence and esteem.

Although one of the strictest disciplinarians in the army, he

nevertheless uniformly treated the men under his commandwith kindness and respect, and his men were ready to obey

and follow him through every danger.

In the fall of 1866 General Fisher was nominated and

elected a member of the State Senate of Pennsylvania, from

Lancaster county. He removed to Lancaster city during his

term of Senator, and again actively engaged in the practice of

his profession. In 1871 he was appointed Judge of the

District Court for the territory of Montana, for which place

he left, with his family, about the first of April, 1871.

' FOGLB, George. The late well-known and highly re-

spected George Fogle, of Sadsbury, was captain of a com-

pany of the Lancaster county militia, in the war of 1812.

He resided on the land of the well-known Francis Bailey,

(the printer), and farmed the land. He first volunteered as

a private soldier, under James Caldwell, esq., of Bart, but

when the company received marching orders, Captain Cald-

well was on the retired list, and George Fogle was chosen to

take his place, in marching the company to Baltimore.

After the close of the war he purchased a farm in Bart

' George Fogle was the son of Jacob Fogle, who emigrated to this

country from Germany about the year 176o; whose son, Adam, was the

well known Adam Fogle, esq., who served many years as justice of the

peace in Sadsbury. George Fogle was united in marriage with Barbara,

the daughter of Simon and Margaret Geist, of Bart, about the year

1796, and died in the year 18o4, aged 84 years. J. M. W. Geist, esq.,

of Lancaster, is the grandson of Simon and Margaret Geist, of Bart.


townsliip, on which his grandson, Joseph Fogle now resides.

His son, John G. Fogle, now resides in Christiana. Jacob

S. Fogle, the eldest son, is a respected citizen of Columbus,

Ohio, where he emigrated many years ago. David H.,

another son, is a citizen of Berrien county, Michigan. Other

descendants of George Fogle are numerous and respectable

citizens of the neighborhood.

FONDERSMITH, John, elected Clerk of Quarter Ses-

sions in 1842.

FOREMAN, Jacob, a member of the Legislature in 1840,

1841 and 1842. -

FOED, George, was a leading lawyer of the Lancaster bar.

He was elected to the Legislature in 1836, 1837 and 1839.

FORDNEY, William B., a retired lawyer, and one who,

whilst in practice, ever ranked amongst the ablest of his pro-

fession. After his admission to the Lancaster bar, in 1829,

his superior abilities soon gave him a front rank in the pro-

fession, which he held until his retirement from practice some

years since. For several years he acted as prosecuting attor-

ney of Lancaster county. In intellectual capacity he ranked

with Gorge B. Porter, Gorge W. Barton, Thaddeus Stevens,

Reah Frazer, Benjamin Champneys, and other brilliant stars

of the old Lancaster bar.

FORNEY, Colonel John W., was born in Lancaster,

Pennsylvania, in the year 1817. His parents occupying an

humble grade in society, were not in possession of the means

to afford him more than an ordinary English education. Atthe early age of thirteen, he obtained employment in a store

of his native town for a short time, and then entered as an

apprentice the office of the Lancaster Journal, at that period

one of the most influential papers published in Pennsylva-

nia. Hugh Maxwell, the proprietor of the Journal, was a

man of remarkable ability, and one who wielded the edito-

rial pen with singularly rare force. In this of&ce, the sub-

ject of our notice remained until he attained his twentieth

year, when he purchased the Lancaster Tntelligencer, ' a strong

' The Lancaster Intelligencer was first issued in 1799 by William andThomas Dixon, as a weekly paper, being at first only a small four col-

umn sheet. It was regularly published up to 1823, the time of Wilham


Democratic paper of the county, from Thomas Feran, esq.

A few years afterwards he bought out the Journal and con-

solidated the two papers, and made the new paper one of the

ablest and most influential sheets of the county, and one that

exercised a powerful influence not only in Lancaster county

but throughout the whole State. In 1839 he was appointed

Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster

county, a position he held for a short time. He remained in

Lancaster, absorbed in his editorial duties, up to the year

184:5, whea he received the appointment of Deputy Surveyor

of the port of Philadelphia, from President Polk, and re-

moved to the last named place, the better to attend to the

duties of the office.

Soon after his location in Philadelphia, with that enthusi-

asm for journalism which has ever seemed in him a leading

characteristic, he purchased a one-half interest in the old Penn-

sylvanian newspaper, then the leading Democratic organ of

the State. This was in the year 1845. He remained asso-

ciated with the Pennsylvanian until the year 1853.

In December, 1851, he was elected Clerk of the House of

Eepresentatives, and removed with his family to Washing-

ton. This important and influential position he held during

the memorable struggle of 1855 and 1856, for the election

of Speaker of the House, and which terminated in the elec-

tion of Nathaniel P. Banks. During those exciting times

Colonel Forney was the presiding ofiicer of the House, and

the highly satisfactory manner in which he performed his

duties, is attested by a resolution oft'ered by Hon. Joshua R.

Giddings, tendering him the thanks of the House, for the

ability and impartiality with which he had presided over the

House during the contest. The resolution was passed with-

out a dissenting voice.

Dixon's death, and was continued aftenvards by Mi's. Dixon, assisted

by her son-in-law, Sir. Bedford, and subsequently by Thomas Feran,

esq. In March, 1S37, the paper passed into the hands of James H. Bry-

sou and John W. Forney, the latter of whom obtained the whole con-

trol and ownership within the year. In September, 1839, Mr. Forney

bought out t\\e'Journal, first established in 1T94, and united it with the

Intelli'ji'ncer, nuderthe title of the J/i*eKjê)Scc;' and Journal, at the same

time considerably enlarging it. "When,.in 184.3, Mr. Forney left Lancaster

for Philadelphia, the paper passed into the bauds of Jlarcus D. Hoi-


Subsequently Col. Forney became one of the editors of

the Washington Union, and remained in that position until

James Buchanan received, at the Democratic Convention

held at Cincinnati, in 1856, the nomination for the Presi-

dency. He was then elected Chairman of the Democratic

State Central Committee of Pennsylvania, and threw him-

self into the campaign with all his vigor and energy. Bythis time Col. Forney had become, and was generally re-

garded, as one of the shrewdest and most sagacious politi-

cians in the Democratic party; and located at Washington,

as he was, in the midst of the leading political minds of the

nation, his influence was of the greatest account in the Presi-

dential contest. He wielded one of the most fertile pens in

the whole country, and his efforts were all powerful in behalf

of the Democratic nominee. It is, perhaps, but the truth

when it be said, that to J. W. Forney, more than to any

other man, was James Buchanan indebted for the electoral

vote of Pennsylvania, and with it his elevation to the Presi-

dential chair of the United States.

In 1857 Col. Forney was nominated by the Democratic

members of the Pennsylvania Legislature, as their candi-

date for the Senate of the United States, his competitor

being Simon Cameron, a politician of great sagacity and

adroitness. The contest on this occasion was that of Greek

meeting Greek, and the subject of our notice through the

political treason of three Democratic Representatives—Lebo,

Waggonseller and Manear—was defeated.

brook, as its manager. In the following year, the latter became sole

publisher, but in a few mouths transferred the paper to Franklin G.

May. On January 1st, 1848, May transferred his interest in it to EdwinW. Hutter, who continued his connectiou with it until July, 1849.

Hutter was succeeded by George Sanderson, who afterwards associated

Lis son Alfred with him in the publication, and these continued it up to

July 18th, 1864. It was then sold to John M. Cooper, H. G. Smith,

William A. Jlortou and Alfred Sanderson, who published it under the

firm title of Cooijer. Sanderson & Co. November 1st, 1S66, it passed

into the hands of H. G. Smith and A. J. Steiumau, the present editors

and proprietors. August, 1864, the Daily Intelligencer was started byCooper, Sanderson & Co., which, with the WeeJdy Intelligencer, passed

into the hands of H. G. Smith and A. J. Steinman. The Daily andWeekly In.'elligencer yet continires to be published by cnem. The Intel-

ligencer is Democratic in politics.


It was not long after James Buchanan was inaugurated

President, that a coolness between Col. Forney and himself

became distinctly perceptible. The rupture was by no

means complete, however, for a considerable time. Col. For-

ney still according to Mr. Buchanan his friendship and

sympathy. Indeed, in the first number of the Press, issued

August, 1857, he openly and warmly advocated the adminis-

tration policy. It was not until the Kansas question became

prominent, that any serious difficulty took place between

them. It was only when, as he conceived, Mr. Buchanan

was lending the weight of his official position towards the

establishment of slavery in Kansas, that Col. Forney took

issue with him, and at once expressed his views of the mea-

sure and the questions it involved, in his usual forcible

manner.

In December of 1858, Col. Forney was a second time

elected Clerk of the House of Representatives. During his

residence at the National capital, he started a weekly paper,

entitled the Sunday Homing Chronicle, which was subse-

quently turned into a daily paper, and was one of the most

successful journals ever printed in that city.

In 1861 he was elected Clerk of the Senate, a position he

accepted and filled with great credit for several years.

During the rebellion Col. Forney was a stern advocate of

the principles of the Union party, and a warm supporter of

the administration of President Lincoln. Upon the death of

the latter, he gave his influence and support to his successor,

Andrew Johnson. This course he continued until upon the

veto of the Freedman's Bureau bill by President Johnson, it

became apparent that the new Executive was swerving from

the principles of the party to which he owed his election.

In March, 1871, he was offered by President Grant the

position of collector of the port of Philadelphia, which he at

first positively declined, but which at the urgent request of

leading men of his party in this and other States, he was

afterwards induced to accept. He discharged the duties of

this office with marked ability and success. The opinion

entertained amongst the business men generally, is, that

Philadelphia never before had a more efficient Collector.

OF LANCASTEil COUNTY. 211

In persona] appearance, Col. Fornej^ is a fine-looking man,

of medium height, dark brown hair, piercing eye and promi-

nent features. He has a deep, full voice, which never fails

to command the attention of his hearers. He is not an im-

passioned orator, but he is calm, fluent, logic and emphatic

—qualities of which all others are desirable in a political

speaker. When rising to address a mass meeting, during a

political campaign, his air is imposing and his flowing strains

of eloquence and captivating declamation leave the impres-

sion that he is a man of brilliant conception and rare intel-

lectual ability.

As a journalistic writer he is smooth, elegant and ornate,

his sentences presenting a polish and roundness almost

rivaling those of a Gibbon ; and yet, at the same time, show-

ing that they are the unstudied first effusions of his pen, no

indications of the midnight oil being at all visible'in his com-

position. But few writers equal Col. Forney in this particu-

lar. He seems, in a word, to have reached the acme of

style most captivating and best adapted for the journalist

and newspaper writer. He is a tower of strength in the edi-

torial profession, and his rare mental vigor and complete

mastery of the pen, justly entitle him to be regarded and

styled the journalistic Achilles of the Western Continent.

FORREY, John, was a member of the Legislature in the

years 1816, 1817, 1823, 1825, 1827 and 1828.

' FOSTER, Rev. William, was born in Little Britain

township, Lancaster county, in 1740. He was a son of

Alexander Foster, who emigrated from the north of Ireland

and settled in that township. He graduated at Princeton

College, New Jersey, in 17(34—having as his cotemporaries

in that institution, David Ramsey, the historian. Judge Jacob

Rush, Oliver Ellsworth, Nathan Niles and Luther Martin.

' Mr. Foster was succeeded as pastor of Upper Octoraro and DoeRun, by the Rev. Alexander Mitcliell, who was born in 1731, graduated

at the College of New Jersey, in 1765, was licensed pastor in 1767,

and was installed at Octoraro, December, 14th, 1785. He had formerly

resided in Bucks county, and came from thence to Chester county. Hewas pastor of Octoraro until April, 1796, when his connection with the

church was dissolved. During the last of his time, troubles arose in

the congregation which continued for several years. He ilied December


He was licensed to preacli by tlie Presbytery of New Castle,

April 22nd, 1767, and was installed pastor of the Upper Octo-

raro church, October 19th, 1768. He also, about the same

time, became pastor of the Doe Run Presbyterian church,

on the Strasburg road, in East Fallowfield township, where

he preached one-fourth of histime. He married Hannah, a

daughter of Eev. Samuel Blair, of Fagg's Manor, and owned

and resided on a farm a short distance east of Upper Octo-

raro church. This farm he purchased December loth, 1770.

In the Eevolution Mr. Foster engaged heartily in the

cause of civil liberty, and encouraged all who heard him to

to do their utmost in defence of their rights. On one occa-

sion he went to Lancaster to preach to troops collected there

previous to their joining the main army. The discourse was

so acceptable that it was printed and circulated, and did

much to arouse the spirit of patriotism amongst the people.

Indeed, nearly all the Presbyterian clergymen in this

State, at that time, were staunch Whigs, and contributed

greatly to keep alive the flame of liberty which our disasters

had frequently caused to be well-nigh extinguished in the

long and unequal contest; and but for them it would often

have been impossible to obtain recruits to keep up the forces

requisite to oppose the enemy.

It was a great object with the British officers to silence

the Presbyterian preachers, as far as possible; and they fre-

quently dispatched parties into the country to surprise and

take prisoners unsuspecting clergymen. An expedition of

this kind was planned against Mr. Foster.

The British were iu possession of Wilmington, Delaware,

and sent a party of light-horse from thence one Sunday

6th, 1812, at the age of eighty-one years, aud was hurried in Upper

Octoraro. He left no descendants. The Doe Run church, to which Mr.

Foster and 3Ir. Jlitchell had ministered one-fourtli of their time, wasmade a distinct congregation in 1 798.

From 1796 until 1810, the Upper Octoraro church was without a regu-

lar pastor, and received supplies from Presbytery.

September 2.5th, 1816, a call was presented to Eev. James Latta,

which he accepted. He had been Ucensed at New London, December9th, 1809, and was ordained and installed pastor of Octoraro church,

April 12th, 1811. He maintained that relation until October, 1850, a

period of forty years, and then resigned.


evening, to take him prisoner and burn his church. MrFoster received word of it on the morning of that day, at°

Doe Eun, and hastening home collected his neighbors, whoremoved his family and library into a house remote from

the public road. The expedition after proceeding twelve

miles on their way, were informed by a tory that their pur-

pose was known, and that parties of militia were stationed to

intercept them, and they returned to Wilmington without

accompanjnng their object.

Mr. Foster died September 30th, 1780. He had a high

standing as a minister, and was held in much estimation byhis congregation. They procured a tombstone to be erected

over his remains in Upper Octoraro burial ground.

He occasionally received under his care theological

students. The Eev. Nathaniel W. Sample, who was the

esteemed pastor of several churches in Lancaster county for

forty years, was one of his students. After his death, his

family continued for a time to reside on his farm already

referred to. It was sold by his widow on September 4th,

1790, to Joseph Park, esq., and the family removed to west-

ern Pennsylvania. Henry D. Foster, the Democratic candi-

date for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1860, is a grandson.

He is a son of SamuelB. Foster, the eldest son of Rev.

William Foster.

FRANKLIN, Col. Emlen, youngest son of Judge Walter

Franklin, was born in Lancaster, April 7th, 1827. After

passing through the select schools of Lancaster, he entered

Yale College in 18-i5, and graduated in 1847. He thereujDon

entered the law oiBce of Nathaniel Ellmaker, esq., and after

the usual time of study, was admitted to the bar. May 15th,

1850. He immediately began the practice of his profession,

and in the autumn of 1851 L<..-âs elected a member of the

House of Representatives at Harrisburg; and having

served one term, declined a reelection, owing to the shape

that parties had, in the meantime, assumed.

In 1859 he was elected District Attorney of Lancaster, and

discharged the duties of his ofSice, during his term, with

credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents.

Upon the breaking out of the rebellion, being at the time


the Captain of the old "Fencibles," he volunteered with his

company for the three months' service. In 1862 he raised

the 122d Regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers, of which he

was chosen Colonel, and which he commanded for nine

months, the period for which the regiment had been raised.

During this period of his service he participated, in com-

mand of his regiment, in the battles of Fredericksburg and

Chancellorsville. He returned with his regiment on the 16th

of May, 1863 ; and in June, of the same year, upon the inva-

sion of Pennsylvania bj' Gen. Lee, in obedience to the urgent

solicitation of Gen. Couch, then commanding the department

of the Susquehanna, he immediately raised the 50th regiment

of Pennsylvania militia, and in command of one of the bri-

gades, participated in. the movements of that campaign.

With the restoration of quiet along the borders, these troops

were discharged, and Col. Franklin resumed again the prac-

tice of his profession. During the fall of 1863 he was nomi-

nated and elected register of wills of Lancaster county,

which position he filled during his term of three years.

During the period of his official service, and up to this time,

he has been, and is now, engaged in the pursuits of his

profession.

FRAKKLIN, Thomas E., a member of the Lancaster bar,

and a brother of Emlen Franklin, has for many years been

recognized as one of the leading members of the profession

in Lancaster county. He was appointed Attorney-General

of Pennsylvania, by Governor Pollock,.in 1855. In 1860 and

1861 he was a leading member of the National Peace Con-

vention, convened in order to endeavor to avert the calami-

ties of the impending civil war, which finally deluged

American soil with blood.

' FRANKLIN, "Walter, was born in the city of NewYork, in February, 1773. His father having removed,

during his minority, to Philadelphia, he there read law, and

was admitted to the bar in 179-4. In January, 1809, he was

appointed, by Governor Snyder, Attorney-General of Penn-

• Upon the breaking out of the war of 1812, with Great Britain, the

public mind, as always happens in such cases, became instantly crazed,

and insults and contumely were heaped upon those who had the courage


sylvania, whicli position he held until January, 1811, when,

upon the death of Judge John Joseph Henry, he was ap-

pointed President Judge of the Courts of Common Pleas of

the second judicial district of Pennsylvania, which com-

prised the counties of Lancaster, York and Dauphin, and to

•which afterwards were added Cumberland and Lebanon.

This office he continued to fill until his death, February 7th,

1838.

As a judge he was distinguished for clearness of concep-

tion, vigor of mind, and eminent integrity. He discharged

the duties of his position with great satisfaction to the pub-

lic. As a jurist, he ranked among the ablest in the State.

He was marked by uniform dignity of manner ; was in

deportment unvaryingly correct and courteous ; and his rare

gentlemanly bearing rendered him a favorite with all classes

of his fellow-citizens.

*FRAZER, Bernard, was born in Dablin, Ireland, about

1755. When only eleven years old he left his father's house

for the purpose of coming to some friends in America, whom,it appears, he never found. Being well educated for a boyof his age, he found employment in a country store, ownedby a family in Chester county, named Witherow, with whomhe had his home for several years. During this time he

acquired a knowledge of surveying and scrivening, a business

to raise their voices against the war. The civil authority was in many-

places prostrated, and mob law iTiled supreme ; the most respectable

citizens were insulted, and the offices of the press, opposed to the war,

were in many places destroyed. In the midst of this state of excite-

ment and feeling Judge Franklin deUvered a charge to the grand jury

of York county, of which the following is an extract :

" The existing state of our foreign relations, and the sensibility of

the pubhc mind on all questions connected ^\'itli it, call for peculiar

care in those who are concerned in the administration of justice, to

guard against every occurrence which may have a tendency to promote

a spirit of popular tumult, or of lawless violence.

"A disposition to riot and commotion may in general be easily sup-

pressed, in its first stages, by a proper firmness and decision on the part

of the magistrate ; but if neglected, and suflered to gain ground andextend itself, it soon grows too powerful for the ordinary exertions of

civil authority, and bears dowTi everj'thing before it in a resistless toiTent

of rage and desolation. Fear is said to be the basis of arbitrary govern-

*Coutrlbuted by Alex. H. Hood, esq.


which he practiced to a considerable extent in after-life. In

1776 he volunteered in a Pennsylvania regiment, and was

present at Brandywine, where he received a bullet in his leg

which lamed him for life, and which he carried with him to

his grave. In 1786 he came to Strasburg, and was employed

as a clerk in a store. Soon after this he married Elizabeth,

the daughter of Philip Kessler, the result of which marriage

was a numerous and highly intelligent family. He died in.

1817, and lies in the Lutheran churchyard at Strasburg.

His widow died in 1855, aged nearly ninety years. His

sons, John, Samuel and Philip, died while yet young men,

leaving families. Warren never was married, and died whenabout twenty-five years old. William lived to be over sixty,

and left a family. Of his daughters, Hannah died unmarried

in 1845; and Mary, the wife of Alex. H. Hood, esq., died in

1851. Two of his daughters, Elizabeth, the widow of Captain

Christian' Sherts, resides in Lancaster; and Angelica, a single

lady, resides in Strasburg.

Mr. Frazer was a very useful man in his day. He, and

all his family, were remarkable for the beauty of their pen-

manship ; and in his section of the county, when anything in

that line was to be done," he was always employed. In hunt-

ing up old titles, his deeds are often to be found, and they fully

justify his traditional reputation. The few who still remember

him, speak of his ability as a teacher, a surveyor and a

scrivener, in the highest terms. Philip Frazer, of Philadel-

phia ; Christian Frazer, of Austin, Texas ; and David T. Frazer,

of Venango, Pa., are the grandsons who inherit his name,ment, and virtue the ruling principle in republics. Laws, and not faction,

should bear the sway in every free country. No condition is more de-

plorable than that j^roduced by anarchy ; and experience has abundantly

proved, that of all governments, a mob is the most despotic and san-

guinary.

"We are, each of us, deeply interested in avoiding a state of things

so awful and calamitous. Let us unite then in our endeavors to prevent

the most distant approaches towards it, and let us evince our reverence

for the principles of the institutions of republicanism, by a faithful

adherence to the law, and a strict and Impartial execution of it against

oflenders of every description.

"

The above are the utterances of sound wisdom, and such as should be

observed in aU civil commotions. Unfortunately, however, the mass of

mankind never are able to liye up to them.


FEAZEK, Col. Eeah, was, in his day, one of the leading

lawyers of Lancaster, and a politician who exerted a controll-

ing influence in his party. He read law in the office of

Amos Ellmaker, one of the luminaries of the bar, and wasadmitted a member of the profession in the year 1825. Be-

ing possessed of a very buoyant and impulsive temperamenthe was not long in establishing himself as one of the

most conspicuous attorneys of Lancaster, and for manyyears, and indeed up to a short time before his death, he was

employed in most of the important cases that came before

the courts of his native county.

He was ardent and enthusiastic in all he undertook, andhe brought the whole power of his impassioned nature to

the investigation and trial of his cases ; evincing during the

whole of the proceedings the same zealous and passionate

ardor as were he advocating or defending his own individual

case. His vvas a nature which knew no moderation. In his

speeches in Court he seemed to have the power to cari-y the

day, from his faculty of being able to convince the j ary t hat he

himself fully believed all he uttered and advocated. This,

in short, was one of the great secrets of his success as a legal

practitioner.

For many years he was the leading Democrat of Lancaster

county, and was known throughout Pennsylvania as the

"Lancaster War Horse." As a politician he was all power-

ful with the masses, who are ever more swayed by passion

than by argument. Wherever he presented himself during

a campaign, the occasion was a signal that called forth the

huzzas and plaudits of the congregated multitude. He died

December 30th, 1856.

In the business of his profession, he was very industrious

and persevering ; and he prepared and tried his cases to the

utmost of his ability. He would seem, however, to a critic

witnessing his impassioned displays before a jury or a polit-

ical meeting, as unhewn intellectual marble, lacking symmet-

rical precision and connected systematic cohesion. His efforts

were terrific and applause-producing ; and he simply bore

off the victory by the herculean might of his inflammatory-

declamation.

17


FREY, Jacob F., elected Commissioner in 1856. He waselected sheriff of Lancaster county in 1866.

FRY, Samuel, was born February 12th, 1809, in Ephrata

township, Lancaster county. He was a miller by trade, and

carried on the Millport mill for many years. He was a manof rare business capacity, and was often by his neighbors

employed in fiduciary trusts. In 1840 he was elected a jus-

tice of the peace, and after serving that office for ten years,

he was, in 1850, elected Commissioner of Lancaster county.

He was one of the board of Commissioners when the new

Court House was erected. For many years he stood at the

head of the Lancaster County Corn Exchange. He was, for

a time, engaged in the commission business, in Market street,

Philadelphia, in the firm of Fry, Acheson &; Rommel. Hedied October 23d, 1868, and he lies buried at the Union

meeting-house, in Warwick township.

* FULTON, Robert. The aid of the historian, or biogra-

pher, is hardly necessary to preserve the name of Fulton.

He is identified with the age in which he lived, and so long

as a knowledge of the power of steam remains, tradition

will perpetuate the character and exertions of him who, by

his successful application of its power to the purposes of

navigation, defied alike wind and tide, and compelled the

elements to bow to the genius of man.

Yet, although his memory exists, and will exist until the

unsparing hand of time shall have swept away alike the

records of his fame and the knowledge of his triumphs, and

mental darkness shall again obscure the earth, it becomes not

less our duty to render him the praise which is his due, and

to enroll his name in our humble volume among the illustri-

ous worthies of our native land. Lowly in his origin, needy

in circumstances, and devoid in his youthful career of the

appliances of wealth and the patronage of friends, he pos-

sessed a mind and temperament that enrolled him in the ranks

of genius, and by his self-dependence enabled him to com-

mand the one and disregard the other.

He smoothed for himself the rugged road to power, and

* National Portrait Gallery.


-when standing on its lofty eminence, he relaxed not tlie toils

by whicli he had attained his elevation, but

"gazing higher

Purposed in his heart to take anotlier step."

The father of Robert Fulton was an emigrant from Ireland

to this country. He married Mary, the daughter of Irish

parents by the name of Smith, then settled in Pennsylvania,

and from this union Robert was born in the township of

Little Britain, (now Fulton township,) Lancaster county, in

the year 1765, being the third child and oldest son. His

father dying when Robert was little more than three years

old, his means of instruction, which during the lifetime of

his parent were small, were still more reduced, and to the

town of Lancaster he was indebted for the rudiments of a

common English education. The early bent of his genius

.

was directed to drawing and painting, and such was his pro-

ficiency that, at the age of seventeen, we find him in Phila-

delphia pursuing this avocation for a livelihood, and with a

success that enabled him, by strict frugality, by the time he

had arrived at the age of twenty-one, to acquire sufficient

means for the purchase of a small farm in Washington

county, ou which, with filial affection, he settled his mother.

In 1786 h<^ embarked for England and became an inmate

in the family of his distinguished countryman, Benjamin

West, where he remained several years, and with whom he

formed an intimacy which death alone dissolved.

For some time after leaving the family of Mr. West, he

devoted himself chiefly to the practice of his art, and during

a residence of two years in Devonshire, near Exeter, he be-

came known to the duke of Bridgewater and the earl of

Stanhope, with the latter of whom he was aftewards for a long

time in regular correspondence. About this jseriod he con-

ceived a plan for the improvement of inland navigation, and

in 1794 he received the thanks of two societies for accounts

of various projects suggested by him. In 1796 he published

in London his treatise on the system of canal improvement.

The object of this work was to prove that small canals navi-

gated by boats of little burthen, were preferable to canals

and vessels of larger dimensions ; and to recommend a mode


of transportation over mountainous regions of country with-

out the aid of locks, railways and steam engines. This he

proposed to accomplish by means of inclined planes, upon

which vessels navigating the canals should be raised or low-

ered from one level to another through means of some in-

geniously contrived machinery placed on the higher level,

by lifting and lowering the vessel perpendicularly. The only

ideas in these projects claimed by him as original, were the

perpendicular lift and the connection of the inclined planes

with machinery.

From England, in 1796, Mr. Fulton proceeded to France

and took up his lodgings at the same hotel with his cele-

brated fellow-citizen, Mr. Joel Barlow. Mr. Barlow after-

wards removing to his own house, Mr. Fulton accepted an

invitation to accompany him, and continued to reside in his

family for seven years. In this period he studied several

modern languages and perfected himself in the higher

branches of mathematics and natural philosophy.

The attention of Mr. Fulton appears to have been early di-

rected to the application of steam to the purpose of navigation.

It is not claimed for him that he was the originator of the

idea, nor that he was tirst to make the experiment, but it is

aiSrmed, and justly, that he was the first who successfully

applied this powerful engine to this branch of human indus-

try, and by his genius and perseverance removed the in-

cumbrances which had hitherto obstructed the path and

contributed to those splendid results which we are daily

witnessing, and in which its saving of time has shortened

space, and by bringing the various sections of our beloved

country into more frequent intercourse, has strengthened

the Federal compact and joined more closely the bonds of

union. This important object was, however, temporarily

suspended, and in the meantime, in addition to various other

scientific projects, Mr. Fulton embarked in a series of ex-

periments, having for their object the destruction of ships

of war by submarine explosion. The situation of France

at this period, engaged in a war with nearly all the powers

of Europe, and compelled to succumb on the ocean to the

naval superiority of Great Britain, gave a universal interest


to his scheme, and at once invited the attention of the

French government to the suggestion. A commission was

appointed by Napoleon, then first consul, to examine the

plans and report upon the proL'ability of thtir success. Ac-

cordingly, in 1801 Mr. Fulton repaired to Brest, and there

commenced the experiment with his plunging boat, the

result of which we find detailed by himself in an interest-

ing report to the committee, from which, as related in

Colden's memoir, we gather the following facts:

"On the 3rd of July, 1801, he embarked with three com-

panies on board his plunging boat, in the harbor of Brest,

and descended with it to the depth of five, ten, fifteen, and

so on to twenty-five feet, but he did not attempt to go lower,

because he found that his imperfect machine would not bear

the pressure of a greater depth. He remained below the

surface one hour. During this time they were in utter

darkness. Afterwards he descended with caudles, but find-

ing a great disadvantage from their consumption of vital

air, he caused, previously to his next experiment, a small

window of thick glass to be made near the bow of his boat,

and he again descended with her, on the 2-4th of July, 1801.

He found that he received from his window, or rather aper-

ture covered with glass, for it was no more than an inch

and a half in diameter, sufficient light to enable him to count

the minutes on his watch. Having satisfied himself that he

could have sufficient light when under water, that he could

do without a supply of fresh air for a considerable time,

that he could descend to any depth and rise to the surface

with facility, his next object was to try her movements as

well on the surface as beneath it. On the 26th of July he

weighed his anchor and hoisted his sails; his boat had one

mast, a mainsail and jib. There was only a light breeze,

and therefore she did not move on the surface at more tban

the rate of two miles an hour, but it was found that she

would tack and steer, and sail on a wind or before it as well as

any common sailing boat. He then struck her mast and sails,

to do which and perfectly to prepare the boat for plunging,

required about two minutes. Having plunged to a certain

depth he placed two men at the engine, which was intended


to give her progressive motion, and one at the helm, while

he, with a barometer before him, governed the machine,

which kept her balanced between the upper and lower

waters. He found that with the exertion of one hand only,

he could keep her at any depth he pleased. The propelling

engine was then put in motion, and he found upon coming

to the surface that he had, in about seven minutes, made a

progress of four hundred meters, or about five hundred

yards. He then again plunged, turned her around while

under water, and returned to near the place he began to

move from. He repeated his experiments several days suc-

cessively, until he became familiar with the operation of

the machinery and the movements of the boat. He found

that she was as obedient to her helm under water as any

boat could be on the surface, and that the magnetic needle

traversed as well in the one situation as the other.

"On the 7th of August Mr. Fulton again descended with a

store of atmospheric air compressed into a copper globe of a

cubic foot capacity, into which two hundred atmospheres

were forced. Thus prepared, he descended with three com-

panions to the depth of about five feet. At the expiration

of an hour and forty minutes he began to take small supplies

of pure air from the reservoir, and did so as he found occa-

sion, for four hours and twenty minutes. At the expiration

of this time, he came to the surface without having exjêri-

enced any inconvenience from having been so long under

water.

" Mr. Fulton was highly satisfied with the success of these

experiments ; it determined him to attempt to try the effects

of these inventions on the English ships which were then

blockading the coast of France and were daily near the

harbor of Brest.

"His boat at this time he called the submarine boat, or the

plunging boat; and he afterwards gave it the name of the

Nautilus;

connected with this machine were what he then

called submarine bombs, to which he has since given the

name of torpedoes. This invention preceded the Nautilus-

It was, indeed, his desire of discovering the means of apply-

ing his torpedoes that turned his thoughts to a submarine


boat. Satisfied with the performance of his boat, his next

object was to make some experiments with the torpedoes.

A small shallo|^ was anchored in the roads ; with a bombcontaining about twenty pounds of powder, he approached

to within about two hundred yards of the anchored vessel,

struck her with the torpedo and blew her into atoms. Acolumn of water and fragments were blown from 80 to 100

feet in the air. This experiment was made in the presence

of the prefect of the department, Admiral Villaret, and a

multitude of spectators."

The experiments of Mr. Fulton with his torpedoes were

subsequently renewed in England, where, in 1805, he blew

up in W aimer roads, near Deal, a Danish brig of two hun-

dred tons, provided for the purpose.

On his return to this country he continued his experi-

ments, and in 1807 blew up a large hulk brig in the harbor

of New York. These experiments, however satisfactory to

himself, were not so to the various governments to which

he had offered his services, and his efforts were therefore

productive of no further immediate results than to demon-

strate the effect of submarine explosions.

We now recur to an important period of Mr. Fulton's life,

for the purpose of tracing in a connected point of view those

labors, the successful result of which has exercised so bene-

ficial an influence on the destinies of the world and on which

rest his own claims to imperishable renown. As early as

1793, as appears by a letter addressed by him to Lord Stan-

hope, his attention had been drawn to the practicability of

steam navigation. It does not appear that any experiments

were made by him until the year 1803.

"Among his papers," says Golden, "are a variety of

drawings, diagrams and innumerable calculations, which

evidently relate to the subject ; but they are imperfect

;

most of them are mutilated, and they are without dates, so

that they cannot with certainty be assigned to any period.

They render it very evident, however, that the application

of water-wheels, as they are now used in the boats which he

built in this country, was among his first conceptions of the

means by which steam vessels might be propelled."


It is not our iutention to enter into an examination of

Mr. Fulton's claims as aii originator of this idea ; he madeno snch pretensions. Experiments had beeu«rnade again and

again by different individuals, but without success ; in some

instances, indeed, vessels had been moved by the power of

steam, but they had only served to prove the fallaciousness

of each invention, and to confirm the ignorant in their belief

of its impracticability ; and until the attempt of Fulton, weunhesitatingly assert that the practical establishment of

navigation by steam was wanting, and that to him is the

world indebted for its advantages.

How contemptible is that narrow-minded sectional feeling

which in its desire to give credit to natives of a particular

country, would descend to calumny and falsehood for the

purpose of robbing another of his well-earned laurels,

merely because his birth-place was on a different soil.

Genius belongs to the earth at large. It is the property

of the universe. It disdains conventional trammels, and

like our own free eagle, it soars in the boundless space far

above the clouds of prejudice and envy, regardless of the

petty storms beneath.

As well might the claims of Watt, as an inventor, be dis-

puted, because steam engines were in operation before his

day, as those of Fulton, because others had unsuccessfally

attempted similar experiments; and yet we are told by

Stuart, in his " Anecdotes of Steam Engines and of their

Inventors and Improvers," that "there is probably no one

whose name is associated with the history of mechanism and

whose labors have received so large a share of applause, whoappeurs to have less claim to notice as an inventor than

Eobert Fulton."

So also in another part of his work, in speaking of Mr.

Fulton's publication on the subject of canals, before adverted

to, he says :" The character of this book was that of its

author, it contained nothing original either in matter or

manner.'" We can hardly return the compliment of Robert

Stuart, in reference to his production, as he is certainly

entitled to the credit of originality for his idea of Fulton's

character, and we may add that in this thought he stands


alone. While Mr. Fulton was yet in France engaged in his

experiments with the Nautilus, Robert R. Livingston, esq.,

arrived in that country as an American minister, and an

intimacy at once commenced between them. Chancellor

Livingston had previously been engaged in some experi-

ments in that country, and in 1798 had procured from the

Legislature of the State of New York, the passage of an act

vesting him with the exclusive right of navigating all kinds

of boats which might be propelled by the force of fire or

steam on all the waters within the jurisdiction of that State

for the term of twenty years, upon condition that he should

within one year build such a boat, the mean rate of whose

speed should be at least four miles an hour.

A boat was accordingly constructed by Mr. Livingston,

in accordance with this act, but not meeting the condition

of the law, the project was for the time abandoned. His

acquaintance with Fulton was the commencement of a newera in the history of science. It was the union of congenial

spirits—a junction .of minds alike distinguished for capacity,

energy and perseverance, and bent upon the same grand

design, and from whose embrace sprang into being the

mighty improvement which, in its influence on humanaffairs, has outstripped all other efibrts of modern times.

The mind of Fulton was of an order which peculiarly

fitted him for this undertaking ; active, inventive and un-

yielding, towering in stature, it may be aptly compared to

that of the bard who saw

' The tops of distant thoughts,

Which men of common stature never saw."

Possessing a keen penetration, a mind also of superior

mechanical order, and thorough theoretical knowledge of

the laws of mechanics, Mr. Livingston was deficient in that

practical information which, with the other qualities, was' united in Fulton; and on meeting with him, he at once per-

ceived the man through whose talents he might hope to

accomplish his valuable designs.

It was immediately agreed between them to embark in

the enterprise, and a series of experiments were had on a

small scale, which resulted in a determination to build an


experimental boat on the Seine. This boat was completed

early in the spring of 1803 ; they were on the point of

making an experiment with her, when one morning as Mr.

Fulton was rising from a bed in which anxiety had given

him but little rest, a messenger from the boat, whose precipi-

tation and apparent consternation announced that he was

the bearer of bad tidings, presented himself to him and

exclaimed, in accents of despair, "0, sir, the boat has broken

to pieces and gone to the bottom !'' Mr. Fulton, who him-

self related the anecdote, declared that this news created a

despondency which he never felt on any other occasion ; but

this was only a momentary sensation. Upon examination

he found that this boat had been too weakly framed to bear

the weight of the machinery, and that in consequence of an

agitation of the river by the wind, the preceding night, what

the messenger had represented had literally happened.

Without returning to his lodgings he immediately began to

labor with his own hands to raise the boat, and worked for

four and twenty hours incessantly, without allowing himself

rest or taking refreshment, an imprudence which, as he

always supposed, had a permanently bad effect on his con-

stitution, and to which he imputed much of his subsequent

bad health.

Tlie accident did the machinery very little injury, but they

were obliged to' build the boat almost entirely anew. She

was completed in July ; her length was sixty-six feet, and

she was eight feet wide. Early in August Mr. Fulton

addressed a letter to the French national institute, invit-

ing them to witness a trial of his boat, which was made in

the presence of a great multitude of the Parisians. This

experiment was so far satisfactory to its projectors as to de-

termine them to continue their efforts in that country; and

arrangements were accordingly made with Messrs. Watt &Bolton to furnish certain parts of a steam engine according

to the directions of Fulton. Mr. Livingston also procured a

reenactment of the law of 1798, extending the provisions of

that act to Fulton and himself for the term of twenty years

from the date of the new act. In 1806 Fulton returned to

this country, and at once commenced building his first


American steamboat. In the spring of 1807 the boat was

^launched from tlie ship-yard of Charles Brown. The engine,

from England, was put on board, and in August she was

moved by the aid of her machinery from her birth-place to

the Jersey shore. Great interest had been excited in the

public mind in relation to the new experiment; and the

wharves were crowded with spectators, assembled to witness

the first trial. Eidicule and jeers were freely poured forth

upon the boat and its projectors, until, at length, as the boat

moved from the wharf and increased her speed, the silence

and astonishment which first enthralled the immense audi-

ence was broken by one universal shout of acclamation and

applause. The triumph of genius was complete, and the

name of Fulton was thenceforth destined to stand enrolled

among the benefactors of mankind.

The new boat was called the Clermont, in compliment of

the place of residence of Mr. Livingston, and shortly after-

wards made her first trip to Albany and back, at an average

speed of five miles an hour. The successful application of

Mr. Fulton's invention had now been fairly tried, and the

efficacy of navigation by steam fully determined. The Cler-

mont was advertised as a packet boat between New York an

Albany, and continued, with some intermissions, running

the remainder of the season. Two other boats, the Earitan

and Car of Neptune, were launched the same year, and a

regular passenger line of steamboats established from that

period between New York and Albany. In each of these

boats great improvements were made, although as yet im-

perfect.

In 1811-12 two steamboats were built under the superin-

tendence of Mr. Fulton, as ferry-boats for crossing the Hudsonriver, and shortly after another of the same description, for

the ferry between Brooklyn and New York. These boats

consisted of two complete hulls, united by a common deck,

moving either way with equal facility, and thereby saving

the necessity of turning. A painful incident as regards the

starting of this boat is as follows : The boat had made one

or two trips across the river, and was lying at the wharf at

the foot of Beekman street. Some derantiiement had taken


place in the macliinery, which the chief engineer was engaged

in rectifying, when the machinery was set in motion, and

coming in contact with the engineer, mangled him in a man-

ner that produced his death the next day. He was removed

to the house adjacent to that occupied by the author of this

sketch, and well does he remember the conversation between

Mr. Fulton and the attending surgeon in reference to the

unfortunate man. After some conversation in relation to

the prospect of his recovery, Mr. Fulton, much aflfected, re-

marked, " Sir, I will give all I am worth to save the life

of that man." When told that his recovery was hopeless,

he was perfectly unmanned, and wept like a child. It ia

here introduced to show, that while his own misfortunes

never for a single moment disturbed his equanimity, the

finer feelings of his nature were sensitively alive to the dis-

tresses of others.

It is hardly necessary to trace the further progress of Mr.

Fulton's career in regard to steam navigation. Altogether

thirteen boats were built in the city of New York, under his

superintendence, the last being the steam frigate which, in

compliment to its projector, was called Fulton the First.

The keel of this immense vessel was laid on the 20th of June,

1814, and in little more than four mouths she was launched

from the ship-yard of Adam and INoah Brown, her architects,

amid the roar of cannon and the plaudits of thousands of

spectators. From the report of the commissioners appointed

to superintend her construction, we extract the following

description of this magnificent vessel: " She is a structure

resting on two boats and keels, separated from end to end

by a channel fifteen feet wide and sixty-six feet wide ; one

boat contains the cauldrons of copper to prepare her steam.

The cylinder, of iron, its piston, levers and wheels, occupy

part of the other. The water-wheel revolves in the space

between them. The main or gun-deck supports the arma-

ment, and is protected by a parapet four feet ten inches

thick, of solid timber, pierced by embrasures. Through

thirty port holes, as many thirty-two pounders are intended

to fire red-hot shot, which can be heated with great safety

and convenience. The upper or spar deck, upon which


several thousand men might parade, is encompassed with a

bulwark which affords safe quarters. She is rigged with

two stout masts, each of which supports a large lateen yard

and sails ; she has two bowsprits, so that she can be steered

with either end foremost; her machinery is calculated for

the addition of an engine which will discharge an immense

column of water, which it is intended to throw upon the

decks and through the port-holes of an enemy, and thereby

deluge her armament and ammunition."

Before the conclusion of this mighty undertaking, it

pleased the Almighty to remove Mr. Fulton from the scene

of his labors. He died in the city of New York, on the

24:th of February, 1815, after a short illness, consequent on

severe exposure. The announcement of his death was ac-

companied with all those tokens of regret which mark the

decease of a great public character. His corpse was attended

to its last resting-place by all the public officers of the city,

and by a larger concourse of citizens than had ever been

assembled on any similar occasion. Minute-guns marked

the progress of the procession, and every testimonial of

gratitude and respect was lavished upon his memory. Mr.

Fulton left four children, one son and three daughters, and

we regret to add, in the language of Golden, with no other

"patrimony than that load of debt which their parent con-

tracted in those pursuits that ought to command the grati-

tude as they do the admiration of mankind." In person Mr.

Fulton was about six feet high, slender, but well propor-

tioned and well formed. In manners he was cordial, cheer-

ful and unembarraasf d ; in his domestic relations eminently

happy. A kind husband, an affectionate parent, a zealous

friend, he has left behind him, independent of his public

career, an unsullied reputation and a memory void of

reproach.

G.GARA, Isaac B., was born near Soudersburg, Lancaster

county, Pennsylvania, October 28th, 1821. At the age

of sixteen he entered the Examiner and Herald office as an


apprentice to learn the printing business, the paper at that

time being under the ownership of Hamersly & Eichards.

After remaining in the employ of this firm for about three

years, the paper passed into the hands of other proprietors,

and the subject of this notice passed out into life and began

the publication of a paper in Bellefonte, and afterwards in

Lock Haven. For about nine months he edited the semi-

weekly Gazette, at Galena, Illinois. The climate of this part

of Illinois not agreeing with him, he returned to Pennsyl-

vania and became associate proprietor and editor of the Brie

Gazette, a position which he held up to May -ith, 1865. In

January, 1867, he was appointed by Governor Geary Deputy

Secretary of the Commonwealth, and retained the same

up to May 1st, 1869, when he resigned the Deputy Secre-

taryship to accept the office of postmaster of the city of

Erie, a position voluntarily tendered him. Hugh S. Gara,

of Lancaster city, is a brother of Isaac B. Gara.

GARBEE, Chbistiax, (Carver) emigrated from Germanysometime between the years 1700 and 1720, and settled in

West Hempfield township, near where the present Jacob B.

Garber, his great grandson, resides. He took up and settled

a tract of land, and obtained a deed in 1735 for 236 acres,

with the usual allowance of 6 acres to the 100 for roads, &;c.,

from John, Thomas and Eichard Penn, true and absolute

proprietors of Pennsylvania and the counties of New Castle

and Sussex, on the Delaware. For this tract of land he paid

£46, 11 shillings and 8 pence. The original tract has re-

mained in the family until the present time, and is yet in the

possession of Jacob B. Garber and Jonas Garber, also a de-

scendant of the original settler. Jacob B. Garber says :" The

house I live in was built by my father in 1812, and is the

third dwelling house erected on this farm, besides the squat-

ter's cabin first put up in the wilderness. Previous to the

time of my forefather's locating on this farm, several families

had penetrated as far as the Susquehanna river and took

possession of the ground whereon Columbia is now located."

The Garbers have all been of a retiring disposition, devoting

their time and attention to farming. The name has been

spelled differently—as Karver, Carver, Gerber, Garber.


Jacob B. Garber is an old, estimable citizen, noted for the

leading position he has for many years held in county and

State Agricultural Societies. He has been a contributor

for many years to agricultural journals.

GATCHELL, J. C, a member of the Legislature in 1868

and 1871.

GALBRAITH, Andrew, a member of the Legislature in

the years 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, 1736 and 1737.

GALBRAITH, Barteam, a delegate to the convention in

1776 which ratified the first Pennsylvania Constitution. Hewas a Colonel in the Revolutionary war.

GEIST, J. M. W., one of the editors of the Lancaster

Express^ was born in Bart township, Lancaster county, on

the 14th of December, iy24. His parents being persons in

straitened circumstances, and having the burden of a large

family devolving upon them, the subject of our sketch had

not the advantages of more than an ordinary education

afforded him. Being, however, of a delicate constitution,

superior educational training was given him over and above

that received by the rest of his brothers and sisters. Heearly gave evidence of superior ability in the rapid acquisi-

tion of knowledge, and soon distanced his youthful com-

petitors in the various branches of learning then taught in the

schools. Finding himself competent to impart instruction, he

taught school for some time in Chester county and elsewhere.

Whilst engaged in teaching, at the suggestion of friends he

read medicine, and in 1843 visited Philadelphia in order to

attend medical lectures in that city. An opportunity nowpresented itself to him to learn the trade of his early choice

—printing and stereotyping—-and he abandoned medicine,

having little taste for this profession. In 1844 he began

his editorial career in charge of the Reformer, a temperance

paper of Lancaster. Prior to this he had contributed con-

siderably as a writer for newspapers. His enterprise in

Lancaster proving a financial failure, and inducements being

held out to him by the State temperance organization to

essay the establishment of his paper at Harrisburg, he accepted

the ofier. The promised aid not being furnished him, he was


again unsuccessful, and was involved in diificulties which

required years of patient toil amidst great discouragement

to surmount. In 1846 he edited an anti-administration paper

called the Yeoman, supported by a wing of the Democracyin opposition to the administration of Francis R. Shunk,

Governor of Pennsylvania. Some time after this, we find

him employed in Philadelphia, in the Quaker City newspaper

office, for which paper he afterwards contributed a serial

story, entitled the " Pra3'er of Love," supposed to embodymuch of his own life experience. After this he became edi-

tor of the Sunday Globe]; next one of the publishers of the

Sunday Mercury. In February, 1852, he accepted the propo-

sition of John H. Pearsol, came to Lancaster and assumed

the editorial management of the Weekly Express, then the

organ of the temperance sentiment of the county. In 1856

Mr. Geist purchased an interest in this paper, and with his

partner, the original proprietor, established in connection

with it the Daily Express, and has succeeded in building it up

as one of the most influential and independent newspaper

organs in eastern Pennsylvania. As an editor of a news-

paper, Mr. Geist wields a fertile and vigorous pen, his style

being free, easy and euphonious. Although a Republican

in principle, he is independent, and no party fealty checks

his pen when truth demands the exposure of political cor-

ruption. It is this cause which has rendered his paper the

powerful moulder of sentiment it has become.

GEIST, Philip, elected Commissioner in 1853.

GETZ, George, was bom in the city of Lancaster, July

18, 1789. He learned the printing business in the Lancaster

Journal ofiice, under Hugh Hamilton. Afterwards he

entered the service of the United States, as midshipman in

the navy. He took part, under Captain James Lawrence,

in the meinorable engagement between the Hornet and

the Peacock, and performed active duty in several minor

naval engagements. In the latter part of the year 1813 he

resigned his post in the navy, and was appointed by Presi-

dent Madison, a lieutenant in the army, in which capacity he

served until the close of the war. In 1816 he removed to

Reading, Berks county, Pa., where he established the Berks-,


and Schuylkill Journal, a paper which he conducted for over

sixteen years. In March, 1850, he was elected Mayor of the •

city of Reading, and was twice reelected, in the years 1851

and 1852. He died February 10th, 1853.

GEST, Joseph, born at Bethel, (now Delaware county), in

the year 1722, was the son of Henry Gest, who emigrated

to this country from Birmingham, England, about the year

1700, and who was married to Mary, the daughter of James

Clemson. While yet a boy, Joseph removed to Lancaster

county, and resided with his uncle, Thomas Clemson ; here he

learned the trade of a carpenter, and soon became an exten-

sive contractor, and was engaged in erecting some of the

finest buildings among the early settlements. In the year

1764 he purchased 300 acres of land from William Webster,

the original patentee, on which his grandson, Jacob T. Gest,

now resides; and in the following year he was joined in

marriage with Deborah, the daughter of Joseph and Eliza-

beth Dickinson. His sou, John Gest, was appointed to the

office of Recorder of Deeds, for the city and county of Phila-

delphia, under the administration of Governor Ritner, in the

year 1835; and his son, Joseph Gest, was, for many years,

county surveyor for Hamilton county, Ohio, and for the city

of Cincinnati. He lived to the age of 92 years, and his de-

scendants are among the most intelligent and respectable

personages in the eastern section of Lancaster county.

GETZ, Peter. The following notice of Mr. Getz we ex-

tract from Barton's Life of Rittenhouse :" Peter Getz was a

self-taught mechanic of singular ingenuity in the borough of

Lancaster, where he exercised the trade of a silversmith and

jeweler, and was remarkable for the extraordinary elegance

and beauty of the workmanship he executed. He was, in

1792, a candidate for the place of chief coiner or engraver

in the mint."

GIBBONS, Abraham, elected Commissioner in 1824.

GIBBONS, Mrs. Phoebe Earle, a lady of literary tastes,

was born in Philadelphia, August 9th, 1821. Her father,

Thomas Barle, was a man of great note in his day, and in

1840 was the first candidate of the Liberty party for

18


Vice President. The subject of this sketch was -well

•educated in select schools in Massachusetts, and taught in

Mr. Picot's French school in Philadelphia and elsewhere for

some years. In 1845 she was married to Dr. Joseph Gib-

bons of Lancaster county. In 1861 she began the study of

Greek, with Professor William M. Nevin, of Lancaster. Aportion of the Odyssey, translated by her was published in

the Ladies^ Friend of Philadelphia. A small medical workwas translated by her from the French, for Lindsay and

BlakistoB, which was published in 1866. She has also trans-

lated a portion of the Herman and Dorothea of Goethe. Atdiff'Tcnt times she has written articles for magazines. In

1872 she published a small volume, entitled "Pennsylvania

Dutch," a portion of which originally appeared in the Atlan-

tic Monthly. Mrs. Gibbons is an active member of the Lan-

caster Linnasan Society. She is a lady of varied acquire-

ments and marked intellectual capacity.

GIBSON, General John, was born in Lancaster city,

Pennsylvania, on the 23rd of May, 1740. Having received

an excellent education, at the age of eighteen he made choice

of a military career as the most congenial to his tastes. His

first service was uuder Gen. Forbes, in the campaign that

resulted in the capture of Fort Daquesne (now Pittsburg),

from the French. When the peace of 1763 was concluded

between the French and English, he settled as a trader at

Fort Pitt. Shortly afterwards, war broke out anew with the

Indians, and he was taken prisoner by them at the mouth of

Beaver creek, while descending the Ohio river in a canoe,

together with two men in his employ, one of whom was

immediately burned, and the other suffered the same fate on

reaching the mouth of the Kanawha river. Gibson, on this

occasion, owed his life to the partiality of an aged squaw, who

chose him as her adopted son, in lieu of her own whom she

had lost in battle. He was necessitated to remain manyyears with the Indians, where he became immediately con-

versant with their language, habits, manners, customs and

traditions. It has been a subject of extreme regret by many,

that he should have held these matters in such slight esteem

as to deem his collections unworthy of being transmitted to


posterity ; for it is evident that in the present state of anti-

quarian research, they would throw light upon many ques-

tions that are now agitated among scientific men. No mauof his attainments and ability to set forth his observations,

has had equal opportunities for coming to a correct know-

ledge of the Indian character, unless his friend, the Eev.

Heckewelder, is to be excepted. Upon the termination of

hostilities, he again settled at Fort Pitt.

In 1774 he acted a conspicuous part in the expedition

against the Shawnee towns, under the command of Lord

Dunmore, and was particularly active in the negotiation of

the peace that followed, and which restored many prisoners

to their friends after long years of anxious captivity. It

was on this occasion that the celebrated speech of Logan,

the Mingo chief, was delivered, and the circumstances con-

nected with its delivery are of sufficient interest to account

for their recital in this sketch, such as they were detailed by

Gen. Gibson himself a short time before his death. Whenthe troops had reached the principal town of the Shawnees,

and while active preparations were being made to put every-

thing in readiness for the attack. Gen. Gibson, with an escort

and flag of truce, was despatched to the Indians with au-

thority to treat for peace. As he approached he perceived

Logan, (whom he had previously seen), standing in the path,

and he addressed him with the familiar greeting :" My friend

Logan, how do you do ? I am glad to see you." To this,

Logan, with a coldness of manner and brevity of expression

which clearly betokened his feelings, replied :'• I suppose

you are," and immediately turned away. After explaining

the object of his embassy to the assembled chiefs, (all of

whom were present except Logan), he found them all sin-

cerely anxious for peace. Whilst the terms of reconcilia-

tion were being discussed he felt himself plucked by the

skirt of his capote, and turning around he saw Logan at his

back, standing with his face convulsed with rage, and bysigns beckoning to follow him. What to do he was at first

in doubt, but reflecting that he was at least equal to his an-

tagonist, being armed with dirk and side pistols, and in

muscular strength his superior, and considering, above all,


that any betrayal of fear in this emergency, might prove

detrimental to the negotiation, he followed in silence, while

Logan with quick steps led the way to a copse of woods at

some little distance. Here they seated themselves, and the

stern and fearless chief was instantly sufi'used in a torrent

of gushing tears, but as yet no word was uttered, and his

grief appeared inconsolable. As soon, however, as he had

regained the power of utterance, he delivered the speech iu

question, and desired it to be transmitted to Lord DunmorCrin order to remove all suspicion that might be entertained

in reference to a treaty, in the ratification of which a chief

of his importance had not participated. Accordingly, the

speech was translated and sent to Lord Dunmore without

delay. Gen. Gibson could not positively say that the speech,

as given by Jeifersou in his Notes on Virginia, was verbatim

as he had penned it ; but he was inclined to think from cer-

tain expressions which he remembered, it was so ; that it gave

the substance, he was confident. Gen. Gibson, however, be-

lieved that it was not in the power of a translation to dojustice to the speech as delivered by Logan

; a speech to-

which the language of passion, uttered in tones of the deepest

feeling, and with gestures at once naturally graceful and

commanding, together with a consciousness on the part of

the hearer that the sentiments proceeded immediately from

a desolate and broken heart, imparted a grandeur and force

inconceivably great. Indeed, as compared with the original,

he even regarded the translation as but lame and insipid.

On the breaking out of the revolutionary war. Gen. Gibson

obtained the command of one of the Continental regiments,

and was with the army at New York and during its retreat

through New Jersey; but during the remainder of the war

he was detailed on the western frontier, a service for which

his long sojourn among the Indians had peculiarly qualified

him. In 1776 he was a member of the convention which

framed the Constitution of Pennsylvania, and was afterward

appointed a judge of the court of common pleas of the

count_^ of Allegheny, and a major general of the militia.

In the year 1800 he received from President Jefferson the

appointment of Secretary of the Territory of Indiana, and


this position he retained until the territory was admitted as

a State into the Union. Laboring under an incurable

cataract, which had for a long time aiHicted him, he nowretired to Braddock's E'ield, the residence of his son-indaw,

Geo. Wallace, esq., and there died April 10th, 1822, having

sustained through life the character of a brave soldier and

an honest man.

GILCHRIST, John, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1778 and 1779.

GISH, Jacob, was a member of the Legislature in the

years 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809 and 1824.

GLEIM, William, was elected Register of Wills in the

year 1845.

GOOD, Anthony, was elected Recorder in the year 1857.

GOOD, Daniel, elected Commissioner in 1854.

GOTSCHALK, Abraham, was a member of the Legisla-

ture in the years 1867 and 1869.

GRAFF, Hans, (John), a native of Switzerland, born in

1661, was one of the first pioneers of Lancaster county, whosettled in it as early as the year 1717, when the district in

which he chose his future home was comparatively a howl-

ing wilderness, still inhabited by the tawny races of the new

world. He belonged to the pious but persecuted sect of

religionists in Europe, the Mennonites, against whom the

sword of intolerance was unsheathed ; and it was to escape

the destruction that seemed to threaten the devoted followers

of Menno Simon, that the subject of our notice was induced,

together with his fellow religionists, to select some portion

of the new world as their place of refuge. About the year

1695, Hans Graff had fled from his native home in Switzer-

land, and taken up his abode in Alsace, a district of France,

where he remained until he emigrated to America, and set-

tled at Germantown, Pa. His stay in this latter place was

of some duration ; but finally, iilduced by glowing descrip-

tions of the fertility and excellence of the soil of the Pequea

valley, he removed thither and chose it as his abode, unless

one more adapted to his tastes should come to his knowledge.

In his wanderings through the new territory he came into a


finely timbered district of country ; and embowered in the

midst of beautiful and majestic oaks, he saw a gushing stream

of limpid water issuing from its fountain in all its native

purity. Fascinated with this delightful elysium of nature,

this exiled wanderer for conscience resolved to select the

lovely spot upon which his eyes then for the first time

rested, and the place where, in coming years, he and his

successors might pour out their adorations to the God of

their fathers, with none to fear nor make them afraid. His

resolution was fixed. Returning to his home at Pequea, he

disposed of his effects and immediately took up his journey

for the place which he had chosen as his future home and

abode. Here he erected a cabin under a large white oak

tree, in which he, the partner of his bosom and an only

child, spent the first winter. In the following spring, in

order to secure himself in this the territory of his choice,

he took out a warrant for a large tract of land, and then

built for himself a house of more commodious dimensions

and near to the site of his first rude and homely cabin.

Fortune favored, in a remarkable degree, this early pioneer

of Lancaster's wilds ; and it was not long till his prosperity

attracted others of his countrymen, who came and settled

around and near him ; and in this manner the nucleus of a

flourishing settlement was in a short time formed. For

many years, however, the principal persons with whom Hans

Graff had intercourse, were the red^men of the forest, and

this accounts for his great knowledge of the Indian tongue,

in which he is said to have discoursed as fluently as in his

vernacular German. He was not slow in taking a,dvantage

of the circumstances by which he was surrounded, and with

the Indians he soon established a trade that resulted to his

great profit and advantage. He sold to the Indians milk,

vegetables, blankets, and other articles of merchandise

which he could purchase in Philadelphia, and obtained in

exchange for them furs and other objects of trade, for which

he could secure a ready sale, and which, to him, were equiva-

lent to cash. In this way Hans Graff laid the foundation

of a princely fortune ; and by the time that Lancaster was

organized into a separate county, he was already one of tha


most independent and influential of its citizens. The town-

ship in which he had selected his abode, was named Earl (Graff)

in honor of him, as its most respected inhabitant. He was

an active and energetic man in his day ; useful as a counsel-

lor amongst his neighbors and fellow-citizens ; and no busi-

ness of importance was transacted at that early period unless

his judgment was first consulted and his consent obtained.

Despite the jealousy of race, that in those early times in-

flamed the antagonistic Irish and German elements of the

county, we find the name of Hans Graif often conspicu-

ously appearing in positions of ofiicial trust, to which he

had been assigned by the Governor and Board of Council

of the province; and by the judges of the court of his

county. After having served his day and generation, he

"was followed to his last resting-place by his numerous friends

and descendants, who have erected a shrine to his memorymore enduring than the lofty marble monuments reared to

princes, kings and einperors.

Hans Graff' raised six sons: Peter, David, John, Daniel,

Marcus and Samuel. David was married to a Miss Moyer,

and died at the age of sixty-two years. His wife attained

the ag.e of ninety-two years. David, son of the last named,

married Barbara Hirst, and built the house in West Earl

township where Levi W . Groff now resides. He died at

the age of twenty-seven, and his widow married David

Martin. John, (gross Johnny), son of the last, was married

to a Miss Wenger. Levi W. Groff is one of his sons, and

David G. Swartz, esq., of Lancaster, is a grandson.

GKIEST, Ellwood, was born in Chester county. Pa.,

June 17th, 1824. His parents belonged to the Society of

Priends. After receiving an ordinary English education, he

was apprenticed to the blacksmithing business, and having

learned this trade, he worked in the capacity of a journeyman

in Lancaster, Chester and Delaware counties. He carried

on this business in Bart township, and afterwards in Christi-

ana, up to the breaking out of the rebellion.' He entered

the service of the United States in December, 1862, as a

clerk in the subsistence department, in the Third Division,

Sixth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. In this capacity


he served up to October, 1863, when he was captured byMoseby's guerrillas, and sent to Richmond. Here he was

detained for some months, and after returning home, was

detailed for duty to Johnson's Island, in Lake Erie, a depot

of rebel prisoners. In August, 1864, he was commissioned

commissary of subsistence, with the rank of captain. Hewas ordered to Gen. Sheridan's army, and placed on his

staff as issuing commissary at headquarters. He re-

mained with Sheridan till February, 1865; and when the

latter went on his raid in the Shenandoah Valley, Captain

Griest was left as post commissary at Winchester.

During the time that Captain Griest was connected with

Sheridan's staff. General Alexander Shaler, who knew him

well in the Army of the Potomac, and was now commanding

the post of Columbus, Kentucky, made repeated applications

to have him assigned to duty on his staff'. These applica-

tions were at length referred by the Commissary General of

Subsistence to General Sheridan, who returned them with

the following endorsement:

Headquarters Middle Military Division, Wikchester, Va.,

December 14th, 1804.

ResiiectfuUy returned to the Commissary General, with the remark

that Captain Griest is an intelligent and efficient officer, wliose services

at this time, in this department, cannot very well be dispensed with.

By order of MAJOR GENERAL SHERIDAN.

Jno. Kellogg, Col. and Chief C. S.

He was afterwards detailed with Sheridan to New Orleans;

next to Jacksonville, Florida, at which latter place he re-

mained till mustered out of service in April, 1866, with the

brevet rank of Major. Before returning home a lieutenant's

commission in the United States infantry was tendered him,

which he declined accepting. In the following September,

upon his return home, he was appointed County Treasurer

by the county commissioners, in room of Samuel Ensminger,

deceased. Whilst acting as Treasurer he was engaged byS. A. Wylie to edit the Lancaster Inquirer, then published

by the latter. In 1868 he entered into partnership with the

latter, a position he retained till the death of Mr. Wylie, iu

June, 1872. He is still editor of the Inqxiirer.


GREY, Henry, was a member of the Legislature iu tlie


GRIMLER, Ben.jamin, the editor of the Wahre Ameri-

caner, a German newspaper published in Lancaster during the

period that it was the seat of government of Pennsylvania.

The paper was published by himself and his brother, Henry

Grimier. Benjamin was the youngest of a considerable

family. His father had emigrated from Wirtemberg, Ger-

many, at an earlj' day, and his mother was a native of

Charleston, South Carolina, and an intimate acquaintance of

the celebrated Benjamin Franklin, having boarded in

the same family with him for some time. Der Wahre

Americaner was for a long time the leading Democratic paper

of Lancaster county, and looked upon as the political bible

of that party. The Messrs. Grimier were employed by the

Legislature to do the German printing as long as the ses-

sions of the body were held iu this place. Benjamin Grim-

ier went out as lieutenant of a company, raised in Lancaster,

to Elkton, Maryland, to assist in keeping at bay the British,

who were cruising around the coasts under Admiral Cock-

burn. His service was not of long duration, and after his

discharge therefrom he returned to Lancaster and resumed

again the business of civil life. In 1824 he was elected to

the lower house of the Pennsylvania Legislature. Benja-

min Grimier was a ready writer, in either German or Eng-

lish, and could deliver an impromptu address or pen au

editorial upon any occasion. At the time when Captain

George Hambright was defeated by the delegates of the

Federal party for the of&ce of sheriff, and ran afterwards in

opposition to the settled ticket of his party, Benjamin

Grimier was successful in inducing the Democratic party to

support him, and he was elected. Hambright was supported

by the plebeian wing of the Federal party, and also by the

Democrats. During this campaign Grimier issued in his

paper one of his masterly addresses, which aroused the masses

of the people to the support of his candidates, and insured

their triumphant election. He died in 1832, and lies buried

in the graveyard of Trinity Lutheran church. The mother

of Hon. Henry G. Long was a sister of Benjamin Grimier.


GEIMLER, Henry, brother of the above and co editor

with him in the publication of Der Wahre Americaner. Hewas a man of much greater brilliancy of intellect than his

brother, and possessed a great fondness for writing blank

verse. Some of his productions of this kind evince a high

order of intellect. He died at the early age of 36 years.

GROFF, John, a member of the Legislature in 1812.

GROFF, Sebastian, was elected State Senator in 1790.

He was, in 1787, a delegate to the convention to ratify the

Federal constitution, and was again a delegate in 1789 to

the convention held to amend the constitution of Pennsyl-

vania.

GROH, C. L., elected a County Commissioner in 1831.

GROSH, Jacob. In 1745 two families of the name of

Grosh, emigrated to this country from Manheim, Germany.

On landing at Philadelphia, two of the children were in-

dentured as " Redemptioners," to aid in paying their passage

money.

Valentine Grosh, the grandfather of the subject of this

sketch, settled in East Hempfield, on wild .lands purchased

on credit from the government, at a shilling (13J cents) per

acre. The houses being built of round hickory logs, the

neighborhood was calk-d Hickorytown; afterward Snuff-

town. After a time Valentine removed to Litiz, being a

member of the Moravian church, and gave up the farm to

his son John, the father of Daniel and Jacob, and their sisters.

Jacob Grosh, the youngest of these children, was born

January 25th, 1776. Between the ages of eight and twelve

years he was sent to school in Litiz—three months each

summer—a daily walk of ten miles. The teacher was Rev.

Mr. Grube, grandfather of John Beck, the founder, and for

fifty years the principal of the Boys' Academy in Litiz.

This twelve months of schooling, all he ever received, was

in German ; nor did he learn to read and write English until

aided by his second wife. At 12 years of age he was put

to " man's work," plowing, felling trees, &c. At 20 he

married, and was disowned by his father. He soon went to

work, and thus describes his establishment : " Our house


(rent $7.00 a year,) was built of round logs, the crevices

filled with clay mortar. It was 15 by 16 feet, of one-story,

(6 feet in the clear,) roofed with straw, and had one window of

four panes, 6x8. My wages were good, and we had every-

thing we really needed, a bed, two chairs, two ppwter spoons,

two knives and forks,' two plates, a table of rough boards,

a few pots, pans, &c., and suitable clothing in a chest. Wewere really comfortable and contented, and happy in each

other. I had a tender, loving wife, of my own choosing, a

healthy, virtuous and agreeable woman." His wife died on

Christmas eve of 1796.

His father having married again, came and thus addressed

bim :" Jacob, your new mother, and, I may add, your new

father, want you to come home again. Next Sunday I wish

you to go to church with your mother, brother and sisters,

and I will acknowledge you as my son as publicly as I dis-

owned you." Their mingled tears washed away all unkind

recollections.

In 1799 he made his home with Daniel, his brother, whose

wife, "Gretel," (Margaret) was always a beloved sister;

laboring on the farm, where he became acquainted with

Margaret, daughter of George Gutedel, (anglicised into

Gooderl); but as he could understand no English, and she

no German, their intercourse was confined to looks and

dumb show. Hut a marriage resulted, June 13th, 1799.

His father now gave him the tenancy of 100 acres of wild

land, and became security for necessary stock and utensils.

He cleared ten acres, and built a two-story log house, 28 by30 feet, and a double barn, himself felling and preparing all

the timber for buildings and fences. His energetic wife waa

his helper in nearly all the labors in field and barn, in dairy

and household, as was then the country custom. Here were

born to them Hannah, (who died, aged four years), and Aaron

Burt, (Mr. G.'s mother's family name) ; and afterward, in

Marietta, Rufus King, C. C. Pinkney, J. A. Bayard, Malvina,

Magdalena, and B. Franklin.' Hard labor, exposures, and

the anxieties of debt impaired his health, and finally com-

pelled a change. The farm, stock and utensils were sold^

' Of these seven childi'en, only the first and third sons survive (1873.)


debts paid, and a surplus of $1,000 obtained. The towns of

Waterford and New Haven (now Marietta), had just been

laid out at Anderson's ferry, on the Susquehanna, and thither

they moved in March, 1806, and built (of brick) the seventh

house in the place, and opened it as a tavern. The land-

lad3''s tact and skill made it successful, but it was disagree-

able to him. One day while his wife was on a visit, he cut

down the sign-post, and closed the tavern. Thus ended a

few brief months of tavern-keeping. He entered next into

the lumber business, which he continued for fifty-thl'ee years.

This led him into new associations, and somewhat into dissi-

pation.

In 1811 he was nominated for the House of Eepresenta-

tives, and having overheard his wife and a friend expressing

their fears of the result, he inwardly resolved that hence-

forth he would not forfeit the public confidence, nor blast

the hopes of his family and friends, and from that day to the

close of his life he never gambled in any way. And during

his first winter at Harrisburg, by the representations of an

aged roommate, (Col. Erwin, Senator from Bucks county,)

he vowed that he would ' never taste intoxicants while en-

gaged as a legislator. In after-life he often gratefully re-

viewed the many snares he had escaped by observing these

resolutions. He was reelected to the Legislature for the

sessions of 1813, 1814 and 1816. In 1818 he was elected

to the State Senate, and served four years, making his legis-

lative service eight years, four in the House and four in the

Senate.

As a legislator he was noted for his close attention to his

duties, his intimate acquaintance with rules and usages, his

sound judgment, strict integrity, and readiness to attend to

all proper calls for aid and information. He was conscien-

tiously opposed to the war of 1812-15. He believed that it

should not have been declared until the country was put into

a condition to make it effective. The early disasters of our

army and pecuniary distress of the government confirmed

these views; but when Washington city was captured, the

capitol and its records burned, aad other cities threatened, his

blood boiled within him and he contributed liberally to send


a company of drafted men to Baltimore. Soon after, Gov-

ernor Snyder issued a proclamation calling for volunteers,

and sent a copy with a letter, appealing to Mr. Grosli to give

it his influence. He at once hired the town-crier to go

through the streets, read the proclamation, and call a town

meeting that evening. At the meeting he made a warmappeal and called for volunteers. Over eighty gave their

names on the spot, uniform and name (" Marietta Greys ")

were agreed on, and money subscribed to equip the menand provide for needy families. The principal work and

cost soon rested on Mr. Grosh, who was unanimously chosen

Captain ; John Pedan, 1st Lieutenant ; John Huss, 2d

Lieutenant; and J. Albright, Ensign.' On the fourth day

after receiving the Governor's proclamation, 107 men^ were

uniformed and marched for their destination. They were

mustered in as " 9th Co., 2d Reg., Pa. Vols., L. Inf.," com-

manded by Col. Lewis Bache. As cold weather came on

the captain purchased 100 blankets at $8.00 a pair, for which

he never made any claim on the government. While in

camp, commanding men who were associates and friends,

and some his social superiors, he lived on the same fare and

bore the same privations and restraints, and thus secured

their cheerful obedience to his orders and submission to the

hardships of camp.

During the speculation^ fever Mr. G. (in 1813) bought

48 acres of land, east of (now in) Marietta, at $13.00 per

acre, and laid it out in lots. In two months all were sold,

at $500 each, and, in February following, when titles were

given, were held at $t>00 and upward. He bought back

many lots at these prices, and a farm of 133 acres, seven

miles from town, at $250 per acre—merely to invest his

money. He also built a first-class three-story brick house

' The women of Marietta, assembled in a school-house, and made gar-

ments and knapsacks for the volunteers in Captain Grosh' s company,

so that when the men left their homes to march to Marcus Hook, they

went fully equipped.

—

Sypher's History of Pa., pp. 239; 240.

2 Of these 107 men but one now (1873) survives, Jacob Jones, of

Delaware.

' Few persons now living have any definite idea of the speculations

that desolated so many homes and iniined so many fortunes in Marietta

during and after the war of 1812-15, when property fell in successive


in the new town, costing over $10,000. In those days of

abundant paper money, all felt rich, and indorsing was " a

mere form," for every man wap " abundantly able to meet

all his engagements ;" so that when Mr. G. went to camp, in

1814, he was bail and iudorser for more than $55,000, beside

his own heavy debts. By 1819 every man for whom he had

indorsed, was bankrupt ; his absence had necessitated new

indorsers, and thus saved him ! On his return, he freed

himself from other entanglements, barely in time to meet

the coming storm. For when his property fell to one-tenth

in price, while debts contracted in paper money had to be-

paid in coin at about quadruple value, he found himself

iitterly bankrupt—save that no one knew it—-only his wife

suspected it. Once, when sued as bail on a bond, for $2,960,

by selling his entire stock of lumber at a sacrifice, he escaped

an execution ; and the free use of his brother's credit stocked

the yard again. In the family, the merest and cheapest

necessaries only were used.' Thus through ten years of

agonizing debt, Mr. G. slowly emerged into comparative

comfort, still limited in means, but free from fears of the

sheriff

His faithful wife sunk into consumption, and died Decem-

ber, 1823, aged 86 years, leaving six children, the youngest

about five years old.

When the Marietta Bank became insolvent Mr. Grosh

and six others were appointed trustees to settle its affairs.

Its notes were bought up at a heavy discount by brokers, whohoped to sell them at great profit when the bank's debtors

values and debts pressed inexorably, until everything except indebted-

ness went dowii under the sheriiFs hammer for almost nothing ; and

fathers and husbands were dragged to jail by uusatislied creditors,

leaving families without the necessaries of life, which the imprisoned

men were tlius prevented from earning. Nor were the sufferers few.

Up to 1833, out of 2,000 souls in Marietta, only four men escaped in-

solvency ! Houses sold for less than the cost of the mortar in and on

their walls ; one, that cost $16,000, sold for .$1,100 ; lots brought one per

cent, of former prices ; even farms, five or six miles from town, sold for

only one-sixth of their cost

!

' Rye coffee, without sugar ; rye, corn and potato bread, generally

without butter ; cheap meat, twice a week ; home-spun clothing for the

children's every-day wear, &c.


were pushed for payment. But in 1823 the bank was rob-

bed of all its evidences of debt, and its notes rendered

worthless, unless tha trustees could be made liable for them,

or responsible for the robbery. Hence, civil suits were

commenced against them for over §400,000, the U. S. Bank

leading the way, and the Legislature of 1824—5 was induced

to cite them to appear before it for trial. Mr. Grosh prompt-

ly refused to appear, and Mr. Shannon, Sergeant-at-Arms,

was sent to compel attendance. He found Mr. Grosh en-

trenched in his chamber, armed for resistance unto death.

In vain Mr. Shannon urged (among other considerations,)

that a refusal would be considered proof of guilt. Mr.

Grosh acted on principle, and was therefore regardless of

people's opinions, and Mr. Shannon went to summon a posse.

He returned after a time, saying that not a man would aid

him, even as Mr. Grosh had predicted. So, after dinner,

{which Mr. Grosh had ordered prepared, but did not preside

at!) he departed, bearing to the Legislature Mr. Grosh's pro-

test, which stated—that the Constitution vested all govern-

ment in three departments (legislative, executive, judicial,)

—

that neither department could exercise powers vested in the

others- -that in citing the trustees for trial the Legislature

usurped judiciary powers, in violation of the Constitution

and of the right of citizens, for if it had a right to try the

trustees for alleged bank robbery, it had a right to try any

other person for any other alleged crime, (robbing a hen-roost,

for instance !) He concluded with assurances that he refused,

not out of disrespect, nor fear of conviction, but out of

duty to resist a precedent so dangerous to the prosperity of

government and the rights of its citizens, and pledged ready

obedience to the summons of any lawful criminal court.

These events excited much feeling and various comments

on all sides ; but the result was, that the Legislature drop-

ped the matter, and never afterward undertook any similar

afiair ; no criminal suit was ever brought ; and, after muchmanceuvering and costs, even the civil suits were decided

against the plaintiffs or quietly dropped. Many years after-

wards a worthy townsman, on his death-bed, informed Mr,

Orosh that he and others had robbed the bank to save them-


selves from the utter ruin which must have ensued had the

bank collected its claims.

He found, in the Litiz " Sister House," a lady every waysuited to make him happy, and was married November 2d,

1824.

In 1822 his oldest son embraced Universalism. Owingpartially to surmises long entertained, he was induced to con-

sider the subject of religion more earnestly, reading books

and periodicals on both sides, and studying the Scriptures so

thoroughly that few were better acquainted with their con-

tents, and thu^ he became (as he afterward lived and died) aUniversalist Christian.

Mr. Grosh had been reared a Federalist. But the war of

1812-15, and the Presidential contest between five candidates

in 1824, gradually effaced party lines. He voted for Mr.

Adams in 1824 and 1828 ; but before 1832 Gen. Jackson's

views on nullification and the United States Bank so fully,

accorded with his own, that he thenceforward acted with the

Democratic party, until, in 1857, his life-long hatred of

slavery led him to vote with the Eepublicans. In 1832 he

again became an active politician. In 1840 Governor Porter

nominated him to the Senate for Associate Judge. Both

Lancaster Senators being ardent Whigs, opposed the nomi-

nation, alleging that he was incapable, superannuated, an

infidel, (because a Universalist), and a babbath-breaker, in

that he held Universalist meetings in his house, and attended

temperance meetings on Sundays. Only 101 persons could

be induced to thus remonstrate, but he was rejected, 15 to

18, by a strict party vote. In 1841 Governor Porter again

nominated him, stating that many of both parties desired it

;

that careful inquiry proved him fit and capable ; and that

religious prejudice should not be heeded, &c. He was con-

firmed—18 Democrats and 4 Whigs for, and 9 Whigs against.

When, five years later, he was again nominated, nearly all

of the bar requested it, and the Senate uncmimously con-

firmed it.

Shortly after Mr. G.'s appointment. Judge Dale died, and

Judge Champneys resigned his seat upon the bench. Before

Mr. Shaefi'er had taken Judge Dale's place. Judge Grosh was


alone on the bench. Yet he opened the court, qualified the

new associate, charged the juries, and presided at trials; the

first instance an associate judge had so officiated in the

county. On the first day he thus presided, Thaddeus Stevens,

who had lately removed to Lancaster from Adams county,

came to him, at noon, and said, " The settling of the docket

was forgotten this morning." The judge replied that that

would be attended to next Monday, the first day of CommonPleas. Mr. Stevens remarked, "This is the proper day;"

and added that he had taken judgment in two cases, naming

them. The judge said that where both terms were held the

same week, (as in Adams county,) the first day might be

proper, but if Mr. Stevens would consult some old memberof the bar he would find that it was not the rule here. Mr,

Stevens fiercely replied that he knew his own business, and

would impeach any judge who dared alter that entry on

the docket. When the court opened the judge calmly said,

" Mr. Prothonotary, Mr. Stevens (in a mistake, the Court

presumes,) entered judgments by default against and

; and, as he declines striking them oft', the Court

now directs you to do it." It was done, amidst great sup-

pressed excitement in the bar, Mr. Stevens looking pale and

vexed, but from that day he and Mr. Grosh were friends,

despite their political diSerences.

Another lawyer, presuming on Mr. Grosh's timidity, was

unruly and speaking " out of order." He was told to take

his seat, but heeded it not. The judge mildly said, /' Sit

down, or the Court will be compelled to commit you for

contempt," to which the lawyer saucily replied, " YourHonor had better try your hand at that !" " Sit down, sir !"

said the judge, in such stern tone and with flashing eye, that

the lawyer literally dropped into his seat. That was the last

attempt to browbeat him on the part of any attorney at the

bar. The greatest pain was suffered in deciding cases of

fugitives from slavery, not one of whom, however, was ever

remanded into bondage by him or Judge Shaefier. One

case only is here noted. Before the law of 1848, which

debarred all State officers from acting in slave cases, fugi-

tives could be tried by a single judge, " in chambers."

19


Thus, Henry Johnson, kidnapped by slave catchers, and

rescued, was brought to the judge's residence for trial. The

crowd and excitement were so great that the strong front

door was forced from its hinges. As Johnson desired a

lawyer, the case was adjourned to the court house, on the

ensuing Satui'day, when Judge Shaefier assisted by taking

down the testimony, and Mr. Stevens appeared for the

defendant. The proof of identity, and that Johnson had

run away from the claimant, was clear, and Mr. Stevens,

seemingly paralyzed, could only express suspicions of

forgerv, &c. Judge Grosh, also in deep distress, asked time

for consideration. The claimant's lawyer, with much heat,

exclaimed, " Why, judge, a plainer case could not come

"before you ;" when the judge interrupted him with, " I gen-

erally do my own thinking," and ordered the case adjourned

till Monday, at 2 o'clock, p. m. 'Leaving the crowded court,

house he went to Hinkletown, where his wife was on a visit.

On seeing him she cried out, "Good God! what ails you?

how wretched you look !" He told her all, and asked to be

alone that he might think. He read the testimony again

and again, and worried through the weary hours, till with

Monday morning came a ray of hope. He reached Lancas-

ter at noon on Monday, and Judge Shaeffer almost leaped

with joy as he related his j)lan. At 2 p. m. the court house

was so full that the judges had to get in through a window.

After the opening Judge Grosh asked the claimant's attorney,

"Can a person be legally a slave, unless born in a slave

State, and of a slave mother ?" " If a free woman were

kidnapped and carried into slavery, would her progeny be

legally slaves ?" The answers were, " Certainly not."

" Then (said the judge) the case is clear. In all cases where

freedom and slavery are at issue, all constructions, all

doubts, must enure to the advantage of freedom. So I

should charge a jury, so I must govern myself. I doubt

whether Johnson's mothel* was a slave. I will adjourn the

eourt for one week, if you claim that you can remove that

doubt." A dead silence, no motion for such adjournment,

and he proceeded, " No answer 1 I therefore decide that you,

Henry Johnson, are a free man," &c. Shouts rent the air.


and it was some time before order could be restored. Towardthe close of his second term, by the amended constitution,

the office became elective, and Judge Grosh declined

candidacy.

In 1842 his wife was taken ill and lingered along, until he,

too, was prostrated by a fever, from the delirium of which

he awoke to find that his affectionate wife had died August

26th, 1842, aged 58 years. He next married Miss Leah

Bushong, of Eeamstown, in 1843. She died October 15th,

1847. A fifth marriage was entered into with Mrs. Sarah

Albright, on May 24th, 1849, who survived him. Theclose of his long life was quiet and peaceful. The deaths of

many children, grandchildren and friends often excited the

wish, that " these young plants could have been spared, and

the old, useless trunk been taken in their stead," but he did

not repine at Providence. His two sons aided him in his

business, and, with their families, cheered his lonely hours.

His general health continued good, and his faculties active,

for one of his years, until his last comparatively brief illness,

which terminated his life on ISTovember 4th, 1860, in his

85th year. Judge Grosh, though of quick temper, never

bore malice ; and though he reared a large family of children

and dependents, he never but once inflicted corporal jDun-

ishment on any of them. Indeed, most of " his failings leaned

to virtue's side;" and many portions of his life furnish in-

teresting examples to encourage the poor and erring amongst

mankind.

GEOSH, Samuel, a member of the Legislature in 1823.

GEUBB, Henky, emigrated from Wales to Lancaster

county at an early day. His son, Peter, obtained possession

of the Cornwall ore banks, and built a furnace as early as

1725. The title of the property was confirmed to Peter

Grubb by the proprietaries, in 1732. Peter Grubb died in

1745, leaving two sons, Curtis and Peter, the former inherit-

ing two-thirds, and the latter one-third of the estate. Theestate in 1783 consisted of Cornwall furnace, the Hopewell

forges, and Union forge, on the Swatara, at the foot of the

Blue Mountains. Curtis Grubb was a member of the Penn-

sylvania Assembly for the years 1775, 1777, 1778 and 1782.


He died in the year 1788. His son, Peter, was Colonel of

the 8th battalion of Lancaster county militia. He was a


H.HAINES, Henry, was born near Columbia, Lancaster

county, Pa., December 8th, 1759. His parents being

in very humble circumstances, he was apprenticed at an early

age to the tailoring business, and his education was entirely

neglected. All the little learning he acquired was picked up

by him after his marriage, in a German night school. Atthe early age of eighteen he evinced his patriotism by en-

listing as a soldier in the revolutionary army, in which he

bore his part heroically. He was chosen as one of the guards

to the Hessian prisoners, captured at Trenton, and assisted.

in their removal to Lancaster. Afterwards he was attached

to Col. Bole's command in his expedition up the Susque-

hanna to subdue the Indians. After the revolution he settled

in Maytown, where he spent the balance of his useful and

active life. In 1797 he was appointed a justice of the peace,

the duties of which position he discharged for many years.

Some time after this he was elected and commissioned a

captain of militia by Governor Simon Snyder. Being a

warm and ardent Democrat, he was nominated and elected

to the Legislature in 1804. He was reelected again in 1810,

and also in 1811, serving his constituents with great satis-

faction. In 1825 he was again elected, and also in 1828; but

owing to ill health, was obliged to retire before the close of the

session. The Anti-Masonic party,' about this time coming

The political complexion of Lancaster county has, from an early

period of its history, been moulded to a certain extent by the religious

sentiments of the people. The bulk of the early settlers being non-

resistants, a line of division soon manifested itself which never ceased

to be visible. Even an earlier difference than this separated the Gennanand Scotch-Irish elements of the county. This was the earliest line of

distinction, and it was some generations before it disappeared. Before

its disappearance the difficulties between the Quakers and Scotch-Irish

arose, chiefly brought about by the Quaker policy of Pemisylvania with

reference to the Indians within the State. The Scotch-Irish, being the


into power, and Mr. Haines being a man of wide influence,

was tendered by this party the position of Senator if he

would attach himself to the new organization. So fixed,

however, was he in the principles of Jefl'erson, that he spurned

the offer with contempt. He never further took an active

frontier settlers, were about tlie time of the outbreak consequent upontlie Frencli and Indian war, and afterwards in tlie consijiracy of Pontiac,

subjected to be the victims of the most inliumau murders and tortures

of every description that can be conceived; and being so situated they

implored the Governor and assembly of the province to remove the

Indians that they were harboring, and also vote supplies for their

defence. Deaf ears were turned by an assembly, the majority of whomwere Quakers, and non-resistance their religious policy. Out of reli-

gious sympathy the Mennonites of Lancaster county, and other non-

resistant sects sided with the Quakers againt the Scotch-Irish. This

was the first line of political distinction that divided the people of Lan-

caster county.

Upon the breaking out of the revolution the old division was not

obliterated. As is well known, the Quakers, Mennonites, and other

non-resistant sects felt averse to the war, because of religious scruples.

They were stigmatised as Tories and adlierents of the British crown. In

nowise did they side with the British government, but their conscientious

scruples would not allow them to favor any war, defensive or otherwise.

They chose therefore to i-emain quiescent and participate with neither

party in the struggle. Non-resistant sects are in all countries found loyal

to the powers that be. They paid their taxes and assessments the sameas other citizens, and followed the employment of their Uves, fanning.

The Mennonites, in jjarticular, were no politicians then, nor are they

yet, such at least as remain truest to the faith of their fathers.

After the achievement of American independence the Quakers, Men-nonites, and other non-resistants, still clinging together out of old

sympathy, and feeling the necessity of aiding, as speedily as possible,

in the solidification of a new government, gave their early and hearty

adhesion to that party which favored the new constitution and the

establishment of the Federal Union. Being of those clas.ses that are

ever averse to revolution and change in government, they were not slow

to perceive that the Federalists, in their view, was the party to which

their adhesion should be given. Early, therefore, having attached

themselves to this party, (and at a time, too, when the ablest men of the

nation were arrayed under its banners), it is in accordance with experi-

ence that they should remain faithful to their new allies, now become

the representatives of the government. They thus early became and

remained the devoted advocates of the party of their first choice

throughout the changing phases of its history. In other German coun-

ties of Pennsylvania, the early settlers of which did not belong to

non-resistant sects, a marked dift'erence of political attitude has been

observed. The people of Lancaster county, for the reasons stated.


part in politics ; but so steadfast was he in Ms principles, that

at the age of 83, when blind and feeble in health, he could

not be induced to abstain from voting, inasmuch as he re-

garded the liberty of his country as resting upon the free

exercise of this invaluable privilege. He deposited what,

being the great majority of them of German non-resistant sects, early

became members of the Federal party, and not giving that attention to

politics as many others did, even the unpopular measures of JohnAdams were not sufficient to Tvean them from their early choice.

The large majority of men of position in the county, from the origin

of the government, continued the advocates of the measures of this

party. The great Democratic victory in Pennsylvania, which carried

Thomas McKean into the gubernatorial chair in 1799, and which broke

the strength of the Federal jjarty, had none of its laurels in ' Lancaster

county. His competitor carried the county by a considerable ma-jority. Thus we find parties at this early period. OccasionaRy a Men-nouite, or his descendant, gave his adhesion to the Democratic party,

but the great bulk of them remained attached to the old opinions of their

fathers. When the Federal party became more and more unpopular in

pubUc estimation, the non-resistant sects chiefly abstained from the polls,

and the Democrats (then called Republicans i, occasionally carried the

day in the county. Thus, in 1802, 1803 and 1804, the Democrats car-

ried the county by small majorities. In 1805 the Federals gained, and

likewise the following year. In this manner elections somewhat alter-

nated ; one year the FederMs carrying the victory, and another their

opponents. A marked feature is, that the Democrats never carried it

by a large majority, as woidd occasionally the Federals, showing that

Democratic success was rather to be attributed to the apathy of their

opponents than to their own numbers. The Federals carried the county

in 1814 by about 800 majority ; in 181.5 by 650 ; in 1816 by 460, and in

1817 by 1,000 majority. About this time thetiuaucial bubble blu'st, and

with it collapsed the Federal party. From that time up to 1828 the

Democrats occasionally carried the county, or elected a part of their

ticket. Andrew Jackson, in 1828, carried the county for President by

over l,50ii majority. But the movement, of all others, that made the

county of Lancaster the strong citadel of Democratic opposition, was

the Auti-JIasonic crusade that took its rise from the abdirction of

Morgan, in New York State, in the year 1826. Morgan's abduction was

seized hold of by politicians, and by the fall of 1828 a considerable

party was already organized upon principles of opposition to the Masonic

order. It was a very captivating question with which to make capital

for a party. A jealousy always exists in the human mind against that

which is exclusive, and towards secret societies this feeling is ever aJive.

Particularly amongst the pieople of the rural districts does this jealousy

exist the strongest ; and with many religious bodies secret societies

receive no favor. The Mennonites, Omish, and other such Germansects, were not hard to be persuaded into a party that had for its object


as he surmised, proved his last ballot, with the remark

:

" Let it be so, this may be my last vote and I must cast it

for my children's children." He died February 1st, 1842,

highly esteemed and respected by all who knew him. Hewas a man of great firmness, purity of principle, and one

the overthrow of Masonry, and they therefore welcomed the crusade

that was being preached against the murderers of Morgan and the

advocates of the Masonic iniquity, as they regarded it.

An organ of the new party was started in June of the year 1838, at

New Holland, entitled the Anti-Masonic Herald, with Theo. Feiui as

its editor. This sheet was widely circulated through the county, and

the effect was tremendous. Quite a number of those who had hitherto

acted with the Democratic party received the new paper, and became

converts to the new cause. The party grew with great rapidity. Themost of the German non-resistants warmly espoused the cause. In the

election held in 1829, the Anti-Masonic party swept the country with a

considerable majority. From that time for several years Anti-Masonic

principles in Lancaster county were in the ascendant: Masonry sank

rapidly below par. No longer was a member of the Order free from

insult, and they mostly ceased all connection with their lodges. These

were closed one after another, and every lodge in the county remained

closed for some years. Most of the rural lodges were never again re-

opened. Lectm-ers passed through the country detailing the horrors of

Masonry ; exhibitions were given in which the different scenes of Ma-sonic initiation were said to be represented upon the stage ; andalmanacs, both English and German, were filled with cuts representing

Masom-y in the most ludicrous light. Feeling became more and moreintense against the Order ; and he was a bold man, indeed, who any

longer owned himself the member of an organization resting under such

public odium. Most members of the Order denied that tUey were

Masons, and it even become matter of insult to charge a man as Ijeing a

Free Mason.

Jarvis F. Hanks, a Slason of ten years' standing, and eighteen de-

grees, from New York State, began on Jlouday, May 4th, 18-30, holding

exhibitions in Lancaster, representing the various initiations of Masonry.

He exhibited first in Lancaster, and afterwards in Mt. Joy, Strasburg,

New Holland, Manheim and other places. He carried with him tools,

implements, robes, &c., by which the better to illustrate the Masonic

initiations. He charged twenty-five cents admittance to his exliibition.

He represented himself as an artist by profession, a member of church

in good standing, and an editor of the Investigator, an Anti-Masonic

paper. He began his exhibitions and illustrations by introducing "apoor, blind candidate, '

' with a bandage over his eyes, and a rope aroundhis neck ;

" neither naked nor clothed, barefooted nor shod." His exhi-

bitions purported to represent the oaths, mysteries and ceremonies of

Free Masonry, and to display before the eyes of his audience the spec-

tacles and workings of a Masonic Lodge. His exhibitions were numer-


ever resolved to stand by what his conscience dictated as

duty.

HALDEMAN FAMILY. In Eupp's History of Lan-

caster county, p. 397, a list of citizens is given who were

chosen in 1775 as a Committee of Public Safety, in the

ously attended. lu his exhibitions Hanks generally represented the

first evening the Entered Apprentice and Master Mason's Degree ; the

next evening the Royal Arch Degree, and on the thu-d, the Templar

Degree. At Mt. Joy he exhibited in the school-house ; but great oppo-

sition was made to his exhibiting in the public building. He also

exhibited to audiences of ladies the initiations into the Entered Appren-

tice and Master Mason's Degree ; and at Mt. Joy a lady of standing

received the "Heroine of Jericho," or lady degree. He exhibited to

the ladies vrithout compensation. These exhibitions vrere held all over

the county, and were designed to bring the Masonic Order into public

contempt. Anti-Masonic papers were full of prospectuses and announce-

ments of the publication of books and rituals exposing the secrets of

Masonry. One writing in 1830 says : "The developments and exposures

of Masonry have ah'eady thrown the institution into disgrace. Five

years ago no one dared to speak against it, but now its members becomeangry if called Masons, and publicly talk against it. No public parades

are any more held, and no initiations are made into the Order. TheDemocratic party found itself obliged to exclude all Masons from its

ticket."

Lancaster Lodge, No. 43, after being closed for a considerable time,

was again opened, and members stealthily began to visit it in small

numbers, few members of respect, for a long time, frecjuenting any of

the mc-etings. Robert Moderwell, esq.. Mayor Albright, and Dr. Geo. B.

Kerfoot were amongst the most respected and influential Masons whohelped to lift the Order again to respectability. In 1837 the meetings of

the Lodge were small, and those who visited them sought access so as

not to be seen by their neighbors. An odium hirng over the Order even

for years later, and it was not much before 1850 that Masons felt bold

enough to hold then- public processions as in times prior to the Anti-

Masonic excitement. It soon became clear that the Anti-Masonic party

could never become national, its strength being confined very generally

to the North. Although it had already lost its distinctive importance,

the election of Ritner as Governor, in 1835, was regarded as an Anti-

Masonic ti'inmph. About this time, however, the Anti-Masonic party

in Lancaster divided, a part oaUing themselves Whigs. Fromt his time

Anti-Masom-y continued to decline in the county until Stevens came to

Lancaster from Adams county, in 1842, and attempted, but unsuccess-

fully, to revive it. The leading Anti-Masons were Amos EUmaker, Isaac

BuiTowes, Thos. H. Burrowes, Roland DiUer and Samuel Parke. Theleaders who brought up the Whig party in Lancaster county, were

Christripher Hager, John Shaefter, John F. Long, Wm. Gleim, Geo.

W. Hamersly and Luther Richards.


troubles which resulted in the war with England, and among

numerous German names, that of Jacob Haldeman ' appears

as one of three for Rapho township. To his grandson Henry

Haldeman, a similar trust was confided at Harrisburg during

the so-called Buckshot War in 1838. Jacob Haldeman was

the father of John Haldeman, (1753-1832) of Locust Grove,

near Bainbridge," on the Susquehanna, who lived in the

house now occupied by his grandson John (son of John B.)

Haldeman, about two miles below Bainbridge. The elder

John was married to Maria Breneman, and they brought up

a large family, most of whom were sons, and became suc-

cessful business meu.^ After a prosperous career, John Hal-

deman and wife left their homestead to their oldest son, John

B., (1779-1836) and retired to a life of leisure in Columbia.

The large stone mill at Locust Grove (subsequently trans-

ferred to his fourth son, Henry), was built by him and bears

the inscription

—

erbauet bei john haldejiax and jiaria

HALDEMAN, 1790.

About the year 1795 he was a member of the State Legis-

lature for two terms at PhiladeliAia, where he made the

acquaintance of various distinguished men of the period.

He was well informed, fond of reading, and a subscriber to

works like ' Guthrie's Geography,' 2 vols. 4to. 1794, and

'The World Displayed,' 8 vols. Svo. 1795, both of which

he presented to S. S. Haldeman when a boy. These im-

parted a taste for geography and travel to the recipient,

who in 1837, when engaged in the geological survey of the

State in the vicinity of Hummelstown, remembered the

exaggerated description in Guthrie, of the cave on the Swa-tara. Upon visiting it he discovered the main cave, (pre-

'Boru in German Switzerland, October Ttli, 1732; died December 3d,

1783. General Haldeman, a native of French Switzerland, and the first

British Governor of Canada, visited Lancaster county in 1778, andoffered to adopt one of Jacob Haldeman' s sons, as he had not a family

of his own. The celebrated scientific writer, Mrs. Marcett, was related

to this family.

2 This town was founded by his sons John B. and Henry Haldeman.

'Particularly the second Jacob M. Haldeman, (1781-1857) of Harris-

burg, whose son Jacob S. was Minister to Sweden in 1863, and another

son, (Richard J.) is now (1873; a member of Congress from Cumberlandcounty, Pennsylvania.


viously unknown), by climbing to a small hole into which he

crept, and found a descent where a rope was required to

reach the floor. In the apartment thus entered for the first

time, every delicate stalactite was perfect ; there was not a

foot-print in the soft clay floor, and the bones of bats were

the only signs of previous visiters.

HALDEMAN, S. S., was born at Locust Grove Mills in

1812; the oldest son of Henry Haldeman (1787-1849) and

his wife Frances Steman, (1794-1826). The house of his-

parents was well supplied with books, a pair of globes, &c.,

which afforded indoor occupation. He went to the local

schools until the age of thirteen, and as there was little or

nothing required of him in the way of employment, his time

in the vacations was spent in tlie use of tools, in the shops

on the premises, in shooting, fishing, boating, trapping,

riding and swimming, thereby securing a good constitution

and founding habits of observation which were afterwards

applied to the study of the sciences. Scott's beautiful mapof Lancaster county (published about the year 1824), had

great attractions for him, and taught him the local geogra-

phy; and as a boy he studied natural history, wading in the

Susquehanna for shells, collecting plants, and traversing the

river shore for minerals, Indian arrowheads and stone axes.

He formed a little museum on the loft of the carriage house,

where among other things, hehad rude anatomical prepara-

tions made from rabbits, possums, muskrats, and other

animals; and a traveling Methodist preacher taught him

how to stuff birds. From his father's house an eagle's nest

was visible, upon a large buttonwood, on an island a mile

distant, and it was easy to observe the eagle chasing and

robbing the fish-hawk, and to ascertain that when he cannot

thus get fish, he will dive for them himself—a fact first put

on record by Mr. Haldeman, who also published the fact

that the peregrine falcon nests in rocks, as in Europe, and

not in trees, as Wilson and others had supposed. He had

in reality procured young ones from a nest in the cliflf

(Chickies Rock) which rises behind his present residence.

In the spring of 1826, when nearly fourteen years of age,

Prof. Haldeman was sent to the Classical Academy of Dr.


John M. Keagy,' at Harrisburg, where he remained for two

years, and then went to Dickinson College, Carlisle, where

he was a student for two years more. Here he took lessons

in French as an extra study, a language to which his atten-

tion had been turned by the grammar used by his mother

when a pupil at Litiz ; and his taste for natural science was

encouraged under Prof H. D. Eogers, subsequently the dis-

tinguished geologist. Preferring to direct his own studies,

he returned home at the age of eighteen, and while occa-

sionally assisting his father in the saw-milling business at

Chickies, he continued his stvidies and gradually accumulated

cabinets of geology, conchology and entomology, and a

scientific and linguistic library.

In 1835 he published his first communication of a scien-

tific character in the Lancaster Journal^ being a refutation

of Locke's "Moon Hoax," in which it was pretended that

with a telescope twenty-four feet in diameter, animals had

been observed in the moon.'-' At this period he was inter-

ested in education, and was ready to lecture before lyceums,

which came into vogue about that time ; and subsequently

before educational conventions, on scientific and linguistic

subjects, taking care to expose the scientific errors which

are so often present in educational literature. To one of

these books he devoted an entire pamphlet, ('Notes on Wil-

son's Eeaders'), of which the revised edition has the date of

1870. When editing the 'Farm Journal,^ (1851, p. 2 and

66,) he ridiculed the ' Paine Light ;' and when ' spirit rappings'

' See Mombert's History of Lancaster county, 1869, p. 398.

^ The following paragraph will give an idea of this refutation: " Themagnifying power of the new telescope is said to be 42,000 times, andcapable of distinguishing objects of a few inches in. diameter on the

lunar surface. Now this power is much too great for an instrument

twenty-four feet in diameter, and still not great enough to distinguish

objects of eighteen inches. The unassisted eye, when viewing the moon,

can distinguish a sjiot of about seventy miles, and of course with a

telescope magnifying seventy times, one mile of lunar surface would

just be visible. According to the rule for calculating the power of tele-

scopes, it would require a magnifying power of 37,000 to distinguish

ten feet oi lunar surface, and a lens to jjroduce this power could not be

less than sixty feet in diameter, with a focal distance of three huncU-ed

feet. From this, we may judge to what an extent the powers of a

twenty-four foot diameter telescope have been overrated."


came up, they received like attention. On one occasion a

a speaker spoke of the sciences as leading to skepticism,

•when he replied, that if it had not been for physical science

we would probably have been executing witches to this day.

In 1835 Prof. Haldeman married Miss Mary A. Hough,

and removed to the residence which they still occupy, at

Chickies, where he was subsequently joined by his brothers,

Dr. Edwin Haldeman and Paris Haldeman, in the iron busi-

ness. In this connection he published a paper, in 184:8, on

the construction of blast furnaces ; in 1855 he edited the

second edition of Taylor's " Statistics of Coal," and for manyyears he has been an officer of the State Agricultural So-

ciety. In 1841 his "Freshwater Univalve Mollusca " of the

United States was commenced, a work which had no superior

in the style and finish of its plates.' About the period of

1855-8 he was professor of agricultural chemistry and

geology in Delaware College, coniining his course to several

months of each year, without residing permanently at the

college. Hia paper " On Species and their Distribution,"

(1851), opened a question which has been more recently de-

veloped into what is now called Darwinism, and Darwin

himself makes favorable mention of this article in his later

editions.

As language is a characteristic of mankind, his attention

was drawn to it as an aid to ethnology ; he studied it as a

natural science, and the first result was his " Elements of

Latin Pronunciation," (1851), in which the attempt is madeto ascertain the ancient pronunciation. ^ Professor Halde-man subsequently lectured on the " Mechanism of Speech"

' The original shells figured have been presented to the Academy of

Natui'al Sciences, Philadelphia ; and those of the continuation, pub-

lished in Paris, were given to the celebrated Delessert-Lamarck collec-

tion in that city.

2 That philosophical talent and tact so essential for investigations in

natural science, which he is well known eminently to possess, he has

here brought to bear on the elements of the Latin language with pecu-

liar success. His conclusions, we fancy, are generally, if not always,

coiTect, as they are founded on philosophical principles, having been

di'awn from various reliable materials, both ancient and modern, in a

manner almost as satisfactory and as safely to be trusted as the deduc-

tions of mathematics.

—

Mercershurg Review, March, 1853.


before the Smithsonian Institution, and in 1858 his " Tre-

velyan Prize Essay " was successful in England, against six-

teen competitors. This essay was published in 1860, by J.

B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, under the title of "Ana-

lytic Orthography," and it contains specimens of about

seventy languages and dialects, as heard from the lips of the

natives themselves. In 1865 his ' Affixes to English Words'

appeared, which claims to be the key to the analysis of

100,000 words ;^ and in the Southern Review ( Baltimore,

July, 1869), he has an article on American Dictionaries.-

Of late years the advance of learning has required an

increase of professors in the large colleges, and among these

the University of Pennsylvania stands in the front rank, its

location in a large city like Philadelphia affording facilities

for getting instructors in the various sciences. The last

professorship added to the list in this institution, was that of

Comparative Philology, in 1870, to which Prof Haldeman

was elected. Studying language as a natural science, and

simultaneously with it, he often gives definite information

upon points which his predecessors had attributed to ' acci-

dent' or ' euphony ;' and studying the vocal elements of manylanguages by ear, he ascertained, for example, that a certain

sound of Arabic and Hebrew occurs in Wyandot, another in

Esquimaux, while another is common to Cherokee and

Welsh. It is obvious that to ascertain such facts, the same

person must hear the sounds compared, and from native

speakers. Comanche was thus heard in Washington, Ha-

waian at Liverpool, and from Queen Emma in London, Gud-

jerati from a Parsee in Paris, and the language of the Tonga

Islands, and Coordish, at the missionary college of the

Propaganda at Eome, at which many languages are spoken.

At school and in college the subject of this notice was an

' Mr Haldeman has compressed in an elegantly printed octavo volume,* * a collection more rational, complete, and exhaustive of the com-ponent parts of our language, than we have had any good right to hopefor within the present century; * * a most practical, useful work,* * absolutely indispensable to systematic and thorough students of

language.

—

Co ntemponiry Review, London, July, 1867.

* It is a learned and exhaustive examination of the respective merits

and demerits of Worcester's and Webster's dictionaries.

—

Trubners-

Literary Record, London, September, 1869.


average student, acquiring knowledge slowly ; and had lie

remained to graduate, he would probably not have taken

any of the honors. His success is to be attributed to facility

in determining the proper line of inquiry, caution in adopt-

ing results, and persistent industry in research ; traveling to

observe, but living the life of a hermit when working up his

materials, and thus producing a series of from eighty to one

hundred communications in the scientific journals, causing

Dr. Hitchcock, the distinguished geologist, to express sur-

prise that he should "find time to make and bring out so

many new discoveries." As work produces fatigue, rest is

required, and as rest may be secured in a change of study,

the "Tours of a Chess Knight," (1864, illustrated with 114

figures) was the result of such a change.

Acknowledgments for his aid, or for suggestions, are given

in various American works of science, such as Lynch's Dead

Sea Expedition; and he has been honored with membership

in a number of learned societies, American and foreign.

One of his latest labors has been an essay on that curious

dialect of German spoken among us, and called " Pennsyl-

vania Dutch," which he was requested to prepare for the

Philological Society of London, and which is now in their

hands.

HAMBEIGHT, Gen". Henry, was a member of the Legis-

lature in the years 1813, 181-4, 1816, and 1817.

HAMBEIGHT, George, elected sherifli" of Lancaster

county in 1815.

HAMBEIGHT, Henry A., now Major of the 19th United

States Infantry, brevet Colonel United States army, and

brevet Brigadier General United States Volunteers during

the late rebellion, was born at Lancaster, Pa., on the 24th

day of March, 1819, and was the third son of Major Frederick

Hambright and Elizabeth Shaeffer, his wife. The family of

Hambrights were always fond of military life ; in fact they

were natural born soldiers ; his father and uncle. Col. George

Hambright, both of whom were highly popular men, not

only served as captains of our old-time volunteer companies,

but during the war of 1812-14 marched to the battle-field

and defended their country. The father of Henry A. Ham-


bright was Major-General of the militia of Lancaster county,

and was a soldier in reality. Henry A. Hambright, after

commanding a fine and spirited volunteer company, (as his

father and uncle had done before him), in which he had

served under his father as second sergeant, no sooner heard

of the declaration of war between the United States and

Mexico, in 1846, than he volunteered and entered into the

service of his country. His company had been previously

twice called upon by the then Governor of Pennsylvania,

David R. Porter, and marched to Philadelphia to quell the

riots there taking place, and it rendered efiicient service.

He early felt the necessity of learning the " school of the

soldier," and the ef&ciency of discipline. Giving proper

attention thereto, he became a good soldier, and marched as

First Lieutenant of a company in the 2d regiment of Penn-

sylvania volunteers, commanded by Colonel William B.

Eoberts, to the Mexican war. He served throughout the

whole war in the valley of Mexico, from Vera Cruz to the

City of Mexico, and was consequently present in the battles

of Cerro Gordo, La Hoya, Contreras, Cherubusco, Molino

del Eey, Chepultepec, Belen Gate, and the taking of the

City of Mexico. After his return with the regiment tp the

United States, which was mustered out of service at Pitts-

burg in 1848, he resumed his business as a contractor on

public works, and afterwards was an efficient officer on the

Pennsylvania Central Railroad, stationed at Lancaster.

It was in this capacity that he was serving when the

rebellion became a "fixed fact,'^ and having reorganized his

old volunteer company, the " Jackson Riflemen," and ten-

dered its services with his own to the Governor of Pennsyl-

vania, was received and marched to Harrisburg. He was

mustered into service in the 1st Pennsylvania volunteers,

Tinder Colonel Samuel Yohe, for three months, and partici-

pated in all the actions of the campaign under Gen. Robert

Patterson. On the discharge of this three months' regiment,

he immediately raised a new regiment and offered its services

to the government to serve for three years, which offer was

accepted, provided he had it ready for service in thirty days,

and to report to the Adjutant General, U. S. A., at Wash-

264 BIOGHAPHICAL HISTOKY

ington city. This order was promptly complied with, after

a short extension of time. The regiment proceeded to Pitts-

burg, and was organized October 18th, 1861, with its full

complement of oflBcers and men, and a fine regimental band.

It was afterwards known throughout the whole war, as the

gallant and efficient 79th Pennsylvania regiment, and Col.

Hambright continued in its command until it was finally

mustered out of service at the conclusion of the war. Onthe 7th day of June, 1865, "/o- meritorious services in the

field" he was commissioned by the President " brevet Brig-

adier General of volunteers." While serving in the three

months' service as Captain, he received the commissien of

Captain in the 11th regiment United States Infantry, of the

regular army ; this appointment he accepted; but his higher-

temporary rank as Colonel of a brave regiment of volunteers

where he was doing his whole duty, at times being in com-

mand of a brigade, kept him in full employment, and he con-

tinued in command as Colonel of the 79th, and brevet Brig-

adier General in the army of the Ohio, and that of the Cum-berland, and formed part of Sherman's grand corps in the cele-

brated march to the sea. Under all circumstances he brought

into, service those active and energetic powers with which

he was naturally gifted, and participated in all the actions

and battles of the campaigns under Generals Buel, Rose-

crans, George H. Thomas, Sherman and other commanders,

which ended the war ; eliciting from them all high com-

mendations.

Colonel Hambright, since the close of the war, has served

in Texas and other parts of the south, and is at present

commanding officer at Fort Jackson, Louisiana, together

with Fort St. Philip, lying adjacent thereto on the other bank

of the Mississippi river, near its mouth. He is an honor to

the army and a credit to his native State. His actions and

meritorious conduct speak for themselves, and need no

eulogy.

HAMBEIGHT, Major Feedkeick, son of John and

Susanna Hambright, was born at Lancaster, Penna., Novem-ber 22d, 1786. Early in life he displayed a taste for mili-

tary affairs, and in 1810 became a member of the Lancaster


Phalanx. As fourth corporal of this company he marchedto Elkton, Md., in 1813, under Captain James Humes. In1814, when Baltimore was threatened with destruction andpillage by the British, the Phalanx again mustered for the

defence, and on this occasion the subject of this notice

accompanied it in the capacity of ensign. The companywas now under the command of his brother, George Ham-bright. After going into camp for three months the

Pennsylvania troops were discharged, and returned to their

respective homes. In the year 1815 Mr. Hambright waaelected captain of the Phalanx, a position he held up to

1838, when the company disbanded. During the afore-

mentioned period he had several times been elected majorof a battalion, composed of different volunteer companies of

Lancaster county, in which position he was highly esteemed

and gave very general s&tisfaction.

In the year 1839, at the request of the "Jackson Rifle-

men," a very spirited company, composed chiefly'- of voung

men, he became their captain, and many new names havinc

been added to the roll, he commenced a series of instructions

that made it one of the best military companies in that

branch of the service anywhere to be found. In 1840 he

marched his company to Camp Wayne, Pa., and at the

request of a regiment there assembled, composed of volun-

teers from various sections of the State, among which washis own company, he assumed the command. In July, 1841,

Captain Hambright was called upon by a committee from

York, Pennsylvania, to take command of all the volunteers

to assemble at Ca i.p Lafayette, in the following month ; he

accepted and marched to York with his riflemen, on the 23d

of August, and organized the brigade. This is said to have

been one of the handsomest displays of volunteers ever

witnessed in Pennsylvania, and gave Capt. Hambright great

credit for the discipline of the entire command. He wongolden opinions from all assembled, as he, on this occasion,

displayed a knowledge of military affairs inferior to none,

and ranked himself as a commanding ofiicer of rare military

attainments. He continued in command of the Riflemen

vmtil 1846, when they disbanded their organization.

20


On the 4tli of July, 18i2, lie was elected Major General of

the -ith division of the Pennsylvania Militia by the officers

thereof. In the year 1824: Major Hambright marched two

companies—the " Lancaster Phalanx" and the "City Guards"

by invitation, to participate in the reception of the nation's

guest. General La Fayette, on his arrival in this country.

This, at that time, was one of the most brilliant receptions

witnessed in the United States. Major Hambright also

marched a command to Philadelphia on two several occa-

sions when riots were taking place in that city, in obedience

to the call of David E. Porter, Governor of the common-

wealth. On those occasions Major Hambright was the re-

cipient of much applause for the high state of discipline

which his command exhibited, and for the very efi&cient

services which he so cheerfully rendered. As a civilian.

Major Hambright held a prominent and influential position

amongst his fellow-citizens. In the fall of 1821 he was

elected High Sheriff of Lancaster county, an office previously

filled by his brother, Col. George Hambright. As an

evidence of the esteem in which he was held by the people,

upon the termination of his office of Sheriff he was elected a

member of the State Senate of Pennsylvania, the duties of

which he discharged honestly and faithfully. About twenty

years ago he removed to Allegheny, where he resided up to

the time of his death, which took place March 17th, 1872,

at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Charlotte Kennedy, in

the 86th year of his age.

As a testimony of the regard in which Major Hambright

was held by those under his command, the following certifi-

cates are appended, one signed by the officers of the "Lan-

caster Phalanx" which he so long commanded, and the other

signed by the Lancaster city Battalion.

"I, Peter Eeed, jr., Fiist Lieutenant of the Lancaster Phalanx, a

volunteer corjjs belonging to the city battalion of volunteers in the 1st

Brigade, 4th Division, Pennsylvania militia, do certify that Major

Frederick Hambright became a member of said corps at the organiza-

tion, on the 18th day of July, 1810 ; and in the year 1813, when the said

corps marched to Elkton, in the late war, he vras appointed a corporal;

in the year 1814, when said company marched to the defence of Balti-

more, he was elected ensign in the corps ; in 1815 he was elected cap-

tain, which command he still holds ; and in the various duties of private,


officer and commander, for twenty-five years, his conduct has been that

of a gentleman, a soldier and a patriot, alike anxious for the honor of

his corps and the Tvelfare and prosperity of the sti-oug aim of our

country's defence, the volunteer system.

GiveJi luider our hand this 4th day of May, A. D. 1835.

(Signed) Petek Reed, Jr.,

Ist Lieut. Lancaster Phalanx.

We, the undersigned officers of the Lancaster city battalion of volun-

teers, in the 1st Brigade, 4th Division, P. 31., do hereby certify that

Major Frederick Hambright was elected and commissioned Major com-

manding said battalion on the 12th day of May, A. D. 1826, whichcommand he yet holds, and has condircted himself as an active disci-

plinarian, vigilant officer, and honorable gentleman, beloved and re-

spected by his soldiers, and enjoying their highest confidence as a

gallant commander, ever ready to defend the rights of freedom and the

welfare and glory of his country.

Given under oiu' hands this 4th day of May, A. D. 1835.

(Signed) Chaeles ]Sr.\U5iAN, Adjutant.

John Leonard, Siu-geon.

Jacob KAUF>rAN, Quartermaster.

Henry Pineerton, Captain City Guards.

George Hatjghman, Captain Jackson Riflemen.

Peter Reed, Jr., 1st Lient. Lancaster Plialanx.

Chas. Nauman, 1st Lieut. City Guards.

Michael Tkissler, 1st Lieut. Jackson Ritiemen.

Philip Pyle, 2d Lieut. Lancaster Phalanx.

Jacob Poltz, 2d Lieut. City Guards.

George Eagles, 2d Lieut. Jackson Riflemen.

HAMILTON, James, a memlDer of the Legislature in

1734, 1735, 1736, 1737 and 1738.

HAMILTON, JoHX, elected State Senator in 1825.

HAMILTON, WiLLiAii, was born in the city of Phila-

delphia, and learned the business of printing in the office of

Benj. F. Bache. In the winter of 1794-5 he came to Lan-

caster, and entered into partnership with Henry "Wilcox to

publish the Lancaster Journal, a newspaper which the latter

had started. The partnership was not of long duration.

Hamilton purchased the interest of his partner, and published

the Journal from June, 1796. He continued its publication

until 1820, when he sold out his interest to Huss & Brenner.

During the year 1796 Hamilton favored the election of

Thomas Jefferson for the next President, and so strongly

that he alienated certain Federal leaders from him, and they


withdrew their suppert from the paper. Among those whodid so, were Eobert Coleman and Charles Smith, esq. His

paper had ostensibly set out in its publication as a neutral

in politics, but by 1799 it donned the full Federal uniform,

and continued to wear this garb as long as Hamilton con-

trolled it. He was elected a member of the Legislature in

1810 and 1811, and a State Senator in 1812. Hamilton wascaptain of a rifle company, raised in 1814, in Lancaster, and

he marched with his company to Baltimore on the 3d of

September, 1814. He was elected Treasurer of Lancaster

county, in the jea.T 1816, and twice reelected, in 1817 and

1818. He became a defaulter to a large amount of money,

upwards of $20,000, and his securities became responsible

therefore. His securities were Geo. Musser, Wm. Cooper,

and John Bomberger. The securities paid the interest on

the defalcation debt for some years, and finally the County

Commissioners exonerated them from the debt. Hamilton,

after his failure, became so distressed in mind that he was

believed by many to have become insane, and he was

removed to the almshouse, where he died April 10th, 1820,

in the 49th year of his age.

HAMILTON", William, elected a member of the Legis-

lature in 1855 and 1856. In 1860 he was elected to the

State Senate.

HAMAKER, Daxiel, elected a member of the Legis-

lature in 1829 and 1830.

HAND, General Edward, was born December 31st,

•1744, at Clydaff, Kings county, province of Leiiister, Ireland.

He received in 1807 the appointment of surgeon's mate, or

surgeon to the 18th Royal Irish regiment of foot, aiid sailed

with the regiment from Cork, May 20th, 1767. He arrived

at Philadelphia, July 11th. He was ensign of the same regi-

ment, his commission bearing date in 1772. He went with

the 18th regiment to Fort Pitt, and returned to Philadelphia

in 1774, resigning his commission and receiving a regular

discharge from the British service. In the same year he

came with recommendations to Lancaster, in order to practice

his profession. The following year he married. In 1775

he entered the Continental service, his first commission bear-


ing date in June of that year. In 1777 he was chosen

Colonel of the 1st regiment of Pennsylvania riflemen, one

famous for its exploits during the Revolution. He was

raised to the grade of Brigadier General and subsequently to

that of Adjutant General. He was the Adjutant General at

the battle of Yorktown, and marched with his troops back to

Philadelphia, where they were dismissed. Upon the close of

the war he resumed the practice of medicine in Lancaster.

In 1798 he was appointed Major General in the Provisional

army. In 1785 he was elected a member of the Pennsylva-

nia House of Eepresentatives. In 1789 he was a delegate

from Lancaster county to the Convention that amended the

first State Constitution. He was a member of the Conti-

nental Congress in 17S1 and 1785. In politics he was a

Federalist. He died September 3rd, 1802, in the 58th year

of his age. Asa citizen he was highly esteemed, and as a

physician greatly sought after and beloved, especially by

the poor, to whom he was in the habit of rendering his

services gratuitously.

HARBAUGH, Eev. Henry, an American clei'gyman and

author, was born in Franklin county. Pa., October 28th,

1817. His great grandfather emigrated from Switzerland

about the year 1736. His father was a farmer, and the sub-

ject of this notice spent his youth working on the farm until

the 19th year of his age. Being very fond of reading, he

was in the habit of saving all the spare money he could, and

therewith buying himself books. In 1836 he started west,

with the design of learning the carpentering trade. Hefollowed this occupation for some time, still using his spare

moments in reading. For three years he taught school in

winter and went to an academy in summer ; and in the year

18i0 he entered Marshall College, at Mercersburg, and at

the same time read divinity in the Theological Seminary at

the same place. He was licensed and ordained in 1843, and

became pastor of the German Reformed congregation in

Lewisburg, Pa., still continuing his literary studies with un-

abated interest. In 18-18 he published " Heaven, or an Earn-

est and Scriptural Inquiry into the Abode of the Sainted

Dead." This work was well received, and has passed through


numerous editions. In January, 1850, he commenced tte

publication of the Guardian, a monthly magazine, still

continued. In 1850 he received a call from the First Ger-

man Reformed church of Lancaster, which he accepted and

entered upon his duties April 1st, 1850. Being a strong

advocate of total abstinence, and having in his congregation

a few liquor dealers and many more who did not disapprove

of the moderate use of intoxicating drinks, considerable op-

position soon manifested itself against him. He, however,

overpowered the opposition, the Consistory sustaining him

.

The congregation, tlirough his- instrumentality and influence,

began in 1852 the erection of a new church, which was com-

pleted in 1854. A committee of the Eastern Synod having

recommended for the use of the Reformed church a provi-

sional liturgy, Mr. Harbaugh gradually and cautiously intro-

duced it during the morning service, without exacting the

responses from the congregation ; but even this partial lean-

ing to what was termed " high churchism," created decided

dissatisfaction. An attempt made shortly after to define the

-limits of membership, and admonish irregular members,

created further trouble. Several of the members slackened

their attendance, or ceased attending church altogether. The

secret of opposition was their dislike to the liturgy, and this

continued to increase until it culminated one Sunday morn-

ing in the Consistory locking him out of the church. For

this offence they were arraigned before Classis, deposed from

office, and suspended from the benefits of communion. This

led to another secession of twenty or thirty members, most

of whom connected themselves with St. Paul's church. Hestill continued to serve the balance of the congregation until

September, 1860, when he resigned. He accepted a call

from St. John's church, Lebanon, where he served for three

years, and was then elected Professor of Theology in the

Seminary at Mercersburg, Pa., which position he held at the

time of his death, December 28th, 1867. In 1851 he pub-

lished " The Heavenly Recognition, or an Earnest and Scrip-

tural Discussion of the Question, ' Will we know our Friends

in Heaven.' " In 1853 he published "The Heavenly Home,

or the Enjoyments of the Saints in Heaven." In 1854 he


published " The Birds of the Bible." In 1857 appeared his

life of Michael Schlatter, and in 1857-58 the "Fathers of the

German Eeformed Church in Europe and America," in 3

volumes. Shortly after this he issued " The True Glory of

Woman, as portrayed in the Beautiful Life of the Virgin

Mary." He is also the author of " Union with the Church,"

and the " Plea for the Lord's Portion of a Christian's Wealth,

in Life by Gift, in Death by Will." Dr. Harbaugh deserv-

edly ranks as a man of high order of intellect. As a clergy-

man, he spoke with considerable force, being solid, weighty

and emphatic in his delivery. As an author, his works give

evidence of great industry, rather than profundity. His

writings are chiefly of the popular order. He no doubt

possessed the ability to becomie a theologian of eminence,

but perhaps it may be suggested that his attention was too

much dissipated in the collection of his material for and in

the writing of his histories to allow him to bestow such

attention upon theological questions as would have rendered

him profound. As a poet, he' showed some ability in the

Pennsylvania German, his native vernacular.

HARTMAN, David, was elected Sheriff of Lancaster

county in 1815.

HAETMAN, Joseph, elected Commissioner in 1837.

HAYERSTICK, George, elected Commissioner in 1828.

HAWTHORINE, Geo. C, elected Register in 1S(J0.

HAWTHORXE, Samuel, a member of the Legislature

in 1S29 and 1830.

HAYES, Alexander L., was born in Kent county, in

the State of Delaware. He was educated in the Southern

Boarding School, in Smyrna, afterwards studied in the New-ark Academy, and graduated at Dickinson College, Carlisle,

in 1812. He began the study of law in the office of Hon.

Henry M. Ridgely, of Dover, where he continued to read for

three years, the period prescribed for law students in that

State, and was then admitted to the Delaware bar. He com-

menced the practice of the profession in Dover, but after-

wards removed to Philadelphia, and was admitted as a

practitioner before the District Court, Court of Common


Pleas, and the Supreme Court, in 1820. After practicing

his profession for about a year in Philadelphia, he moved to

the city of Eeading, Pa., where he practiced the profession

for about six years. While a resident of Eeading he mar-

ried a daughter of Galbraith Patterson, esq., of Mifiiin

county. Pa. In June, 1827, he was appointed by Governor

Shultz, Associate Judge of the District Court of the counties

of York and Lancaster, Judge Bradford being President

of the court. He discharged the duties of the office of asso-

ciate judge for about seven years, when the district of which

this court was composed was divided, and a separate district

court was formed out of the county of Lancaster. Uponthe recommendation of the members of the Lancaster bar,

he was, in 1833, appointed by Governor Wolf, president of

this court. * Judge Hayes held this position by subsequent

re-appointments, until 1849, when he resigned the presidency

of this court and resumed the practice of the profession. It

was not long after this that he became warmly interested in

the enterprise, then first beginning to be discussed, of estab-

lishing a cotton mill in the city of Lancaster. He was

among the first who subscribed money for the new project,

and \\;is selected by the stockholders to draft the first arti-

cles of the association. He was afterwards selected by the

stockholders as one of a committee of five, (Christopher

Hager and David Longenecker being part of the number),

who should visit the New England States, and make them-

selves acquainted with cotton manufacture in that section of

the L^-uiou, and report upon the feasibility of the contem-

plated enterprise; and if, in the judgment of the committee,

the establishment of such a branch of manufacture would

seem warranted, then to secure the services of an architect,

who should cause the erection of a first-class cotton mill in

the city of Lancaster. This committee visited, in 1845,

Boston, Newburyport, Lowell, Saco, in Maine, and the prin-

cipal cotton manufacturing towns of New England. Uponreturning, the committee reported in favor of the projected

enterprise, ,which report was unanimously adopted by the

' The District Court of Lancaster was presided over by one judge

alone, and he was entitled the president judge of the district court.


stockholders, and they proceeded immediately to erect cotton

mill No. 1, in the city of Lancaster. The report submitted

by the committee that had visited the Eastern States, was

framed by the subject of our notice, and evinces the great

care and observation brought into recûisition in the prepa-

ration of this document.

Judge Hayes was solicited to become one of the five

managers who should superintend the affairs of the new cor-

poration, but declined for want of sufficient time to do jus-

tice to the duties of the position. In 1846 or 1847, in con-

sequence of the declination of John N. Lane, one of the five

managers, he was again solicited to accept the vacant posi-

tion, to which at length, with reluctance, he gave his assent,

and was thereupon elected to this vacancy, and continued to

hold the same until 1854. During this time he was elected

general agent of the company, and upon the resignation of

Mr. Hager, as president of the board of managers, was

chosen President of the said board. In the meantime the

company had erected two other cotton mills near the site of

the first one, and were employing eight hundred hands in

the mills, and running between seven and eight hundred

spindles. In 1854 the Legislature having created an asso-

ciate law judge of the court of common pleas of Lancaster

county, Judge Hayes was elected to fill the said position so

established, and thereupon resigned his position in the cotton

mill company. The duties of this position he continued to

discharge up to 1864, a period of ten years, when he was

again reelected to a second term of the said office, which

jjosition he yet continues to fill.

HBINITZSCH, Gael Heixrich, is the earliest settler of

the Heinitsh family in Lancaster. He emigrated from

Leipsic, in Saxonj', in the winter of 1781, and located in

Lancaster and established the first drug store west of the

Schuylkill. The business thus established by him has been

carried on by his son, and is still continued by his grandson,

Charles A. Heinitsh. He died in 1803, and lies buried in

the burying ground of the Trinity Lutheran church.

HEITLER, EiCHAED E., appointed Begister in 1839.

HENDERSON, Jas., a member of the Legislature in 1839.


HENDEESON, Mathe-\v, was born about 1770, in Salis-

bury township, where his parents resided. He was of

Scotch-Irish descent. His grandfather, Thomas Henderson,

emigrated from Ireland about the year 1727. The subject

of this notice having received a classical education, studied

medicine and practiced his profession for many years with

fine success. In 1820 he was elected a member of the Penn-

sylvania House of Representatives, and in 1821 reelected.

In 1822 he was elected a member of the State Senate. After

the expiration of his legislative career he retired from the

practice of his profession and lived upon his farm. He died

about the year 1830.

HENDRICKSON, George R., son of Okey Hendrickson,

was born June 2d, 1826. After receiving an education he

taught school for a number of years. In the autumn of

1851 he was nominated and elected Clerk of quarter ses-

sions and oyer and terminer, and discharged the duties of

that of&ce in person for three years. He was the last clerk

in the old court house, in Centre Square, and the first in the

new one, and oiBciated at the court when held at Fulton Hall.

He was, during the rebellion, elected quartermaster sergeant

to Company F, of the 15th regiment Pennsylvania three

months' volunteers. He was, in 1868, elected a justice of

peace.

HENDRICKSON, Okey, a descendant of a Dutch-Swede

family, emigrated from New York to Lancaster county

about the year 1815. He was a man of unusual enterprise

and public spirit for his time. He was instrumental in the

establishment of a post-oflBce in Mount Joy, and wasappointed the first postmaster, which position he held for

many years under different administrations, until 1837,

when on account of the active support he gave the Anti-

Masonic party, he was succeeded by a Democrat.' He wasre-appointed to the same position in 1811, under President

Harrison, with whom he enjoyed a personal acquaintance,

and whom he had entertained in his house, but died before

entering on the duties of the office. Out of respect for his

memory, the appointment was promptly conferred upon

James, his oldest son. The project of a railroad, connecting


Lancaster with the State Capital, originated in the town of

Mount Joy; and Okey Hendrickson, who was one of the

incorporators, was influential, in concert with Jacob Eohrer,

esq., Dr. Simon Meredith, Abraham Harnley, Henry Mussel-

man, and Samuel Smith Patterson, in procuring a charter

for the road, and the capital for its construction.

*HENEY, John Joseph, was born November 4th, 1758,

at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was apprenticed by his

father, Wm. Henry, at the age of 14, to an uncle, who was

a gunsmith, then a resident of Lancaster, but who after some

time removed to Detroit, taking his nephew, John Joseph,

with him. At that place his stay was but short, on account

of the scarcity of business. He returned on foot with a

single guide, who died in the wilderness which lay between

Detroit and his home. It was here that hardships and mis-

fortune first were felt, and which were his future compan-

ions during a length of years. Young Henry returned to

his parents and home, dissatisfied with the employment a

judicious father had pointed out for him to gain a future

subsistence. His arduous mind panted after* military glory;

the troubles of his country, which was then making vigor-

ous and ultimately successful struggles for a total emancipa-

tion fi'om slavery, wrought strongly upon one, the acme of

whose hopes and wishes was to be one of those who con-

tended most for freedom. In the fall of 1775 he clandes-

tinely joined a regiment, raised in Lancaster county,

for the purpose of joining Arnold, who at that time was

stationed at Boston. After enduring all the fatigues of a

veteran soldier they entered Canada on his birthday, he being

then but 17 years of age. He endured hardships here which

he has enumerated in his history of the campaign against

Quebec. It was in prison, where he lay for nine months,

that he contracted a disease, (the scurvy), which at that time

did not make its appearance;but six weeks afterwards, on

his return home, at a time when least expected, it made its

appearance ixnder its most malignant form ; it was at a

time when it became a duty for him to continue in the army.

A captaincy had been procured for him in the Virginia line,

*History of the Campaign agaiust Quebec.


and a lieutenancy in that of Pennsylvania. He had designed

to accept of a command under the hero, Gen. Morgan, that

of captain, but the disposer of all events arrested his career,

and instead of his fond expectations being accomplished, all

his hopes were blasted, his high prospects thwarted, and his

life became a dreary blank, by the order of that Omnipo-

tence which furnished him with the fortitude which enabled

him through all his misery to kiss the rod that chastised him.

It was after two years' continuance on the couch of sickness,

that his leg, which was the unfortunate cause of his illness,

began to heal, and renovated health gave brighter hopes for

him.

His lameness precluded all possibility of his again enter-

ing the army. He had, however, by a disregard of parental

authority, at least so far as coucei'ned his trade, forfeited

his claim to his father's exertions to place him in such a

situation, such as would make him capable of rendering him-

self useful to society. A vigorous effort on his part was

necessary ; resolution was not wanting ; it was made. Hebound himself an apprentice to John Hubley, esq., Protho-

notary of the county of Lancaster, as a clerk in the office for

four years; he pursued his business with the closest appli-

cation, and discharged the duties of that of&ce with unabated

care and strictness, and when the labors of the da}'' was over

his nights were consumed in studj', endeavoring to makeup in some measure for the neglect that his educa-

tion had suffered by his becoming a soldier. His frame,

still somewhat debilitated by his illness, was not capable of

sustaining the fatigues of office, his health sufferedmuch from

labor so severe and application so intense. The time of his

indenture having expired, he commenced the study of law

under Stephen Chambers, esq. Here he became acquainted

with his future companion in life, the youngest sister of Mr.

Chambers. He was admitted to the bar in 1785, and began

the practice of his profession, which he continued to pursue

until 1793, when he was appointed by Governor Mifflin

President of the second judicial district of Pennsylvania.

A number of years had now elapsed, and his family was

large. By an unfortunate removal to a district, at a sickly


period, he was attacked by the gout, which from inexperience,

and owing to his having no knowledge as to the consequences

that would necessarily ensue, he did not take proper precau-

tion so as to thwart the disease. Under that deceptious

name, numerous disorders invaded his frame, and at times

with so much severity that he was necessitated to continue

at home, and he was thus prevented from executing his

ofScial duties as a judge. It was during some long years of

bodily suffering that his mind and memory reverted to those

scenes (more forcibly than ever) which formed so eventful a

field in a life of misfortune and vicissitude. The interest-

ing narrative of the sufferings of that band of heroes, of

which he was the yoîngest, is a simple tale of truth, which

he undeviatingly throughout his book adheres to.

He is supported in all his assertions by the testimony of a

number of his companions in that arduous campaign, menof character and respectability—his relation of incidents, his

descriptive accounts of the country they passed through, the

situation of Quebec and the disposition of the army, all markhim to have been a youth of accurate observation, of a com-

prehensive and intelligent mind. Possessing, as he must

necessarily have done, activity of spirit and contempt of

fatigue, he gained the approbation and esteem of his seniors.

The buoyant spirits of youth rose high over misfortune

;

under the pressure of that severest distress, vivacity was

still retained and burst forth at intervals to cheer his hope-

less companions.

Disease had now made rapid progress on a constitution

weakened by repeated attacks and accumulation of disorders

which no skill could counteract or remedy. The nOn-per-

formance of his duties caused petitions from the several

counties to be presented to the Legislature for his removal

;

nothing was alleged against him but absence. That honor-

able House having examined and considered the charges,

acquitted him with honor. His commission he retained for

the space of two years afterwards; but illness and debility

increasing, and a knowledge of his infirmities being incur-

able, compelled him to resign that olfice which he had held

with integrity for seventeen years. Four months succeed-


ing, Hs worn-out frame was destined to feel the stroke of

death, and his freed soul to seek refuge in the bosom of his

father and his God. He died at^Lancaster.JApril 15th, 1811.

The history of the campaign against Quebec was written by

Judge Henry, who often compared it in many respects to the

celebrated retreat of the ten thousand Greeks, and said of it

that it would require the talents of a Xenophon to do it

real justice.

HENEY, William, was an ingenious and successful

mechanic of Lancaster, and for many jêars conducted a large

gun manufactory and iron-mongery, at the southeast corner

of Centre Scjûare. He was inventor of the screw auger,

which, previous to 1777, could be had only at his store. His

discovery of the principle of the auger is thus said to have

been suggested to his mind : He was at a time sitting on his

lôrch and twisting thoughtlessly, with his fingers, a piece of

lead, and this he bored into a turnip, and he observed that

the twisted lead threw out chips, and this suggested to him

the idea of the screw auger. He sent a sample of his inven-

tion to England and obtained a patent therefor. He acted

as a justice of the peace for many years before the breaking

out of the revolution. In 1772 he was appointed one of a

committee, with John Lukens, Surveyor General, David

Eittenhouse, and others, to survey the route of the Susque-

hanna and Lehigh rivers, in order to ascertain the best loca-

tion for a canal, to be constructed through the interior of

the State of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Henry was one of the most active men of the borough

of Lancaster who espoused the cause of the colonies in their

opposition to Great Britain. He was immediately engaged

by the general committee of safety of the province of Penn-

sylvania, to manufacture and repair arms for the continental

army, and the privilege was accorded him by the executive

council to choose such workmen as he might deem proper

to be engaged in his employ, and that these men, so selected,

should be exemp)ted from draft in the army. He was, on

July 4th, 1777, appointed by the executive council of Penn-

sylvania, a justice of the peace under the new constitution.

This position he held continuously up to his death, and he


was president of the county court from 1781 up till 1786.

He was also chosen a member of the Pennsylvania Council

of safety, by act of assembly of 13th October, 1777. For

some time during the revolution he was treasurer of the

county of Lancaster.

Wm. Henry was one of the first who recognized in the

youthful Benjamin West a genius of a high order, and his

first master-piece, the " Death of Socrates," was painted at

the former's suggestion. Young West, about 1749 being in

Lancaster, and some of his paintings having met the eyes of

Mr. Henry, the latter suggested to him that instead of wast-

ing his time ujdou portraits, he should turn his attention to

historical painting. He, at the same time, mentioned the

death scene of the great Grecian philosopher as afibrding one

of the best topics for illustrating the moral effect of the art

of painting. Upon the painter's confessing that he knewnothing of the philosopher, Mr. Henry went to his library,

and taking down a volume of the English translation of

Plutarch, read to him the account given by the writer of

this affecting story. The young painter said he would be

happy to undertake the task, but having hitherto painted

only faces and men clothed, he should be unable to do jus-

tice to the figure of the slave who presented the poison, and

which he thought ought to be nude. Mr. Henry had amonghis workmen a very handsome young man, and without

waiting to answer the objection, he sent for him. On the

young man entering the room, he pointed him out to West,

and said, " there is your model." The instruction at once

convinced the artist that he had only to look into nature for

his models. The Death of Socrates was finished, and the

fame of the artist was from that time established.

During the Eevolution the house of Mr. Henry was

somewhat a place of resort for men of culture and intellect-

ual standing. The host being a man of acknowledged abil-

ity and well-known reputation, naturally attracted others of

like grade around him. Whilst the British held possession

of Philadelphia from September 1777 till June of the follow-

ing year, David Eittenhouse, the philosopher, (then being

State Treasurer), Thomas Paine, author of the Eights of


Man, and John Hart, a member qf the Executive Council,

were inmates of the house of Mr. Henry. The biographer

of Kitteuhouse, the philosopher, speaking of this period of

life, says :" "While he continued in the borough of Lancas-

ter, he made his home in the house of Wm. Henry, esq., at

that time treasurer of the rich and populous county of the

same name ; a situation which at that time was very com-

modious for the business of his office, from its connection

with that of the County Treasurer, and one which was also

the more agreeable by reason of Mr. Henry being a person

of very considerable mechanical ingenuity." It was during

the time that Thomas Paine was stopping at the house of

Mr. Henry, that he wrote No. o of his celebrated political

treatise, the Crisis. Mr. Henry was for many years one of the

most active and influential assistant burgeaees of the borough

of Lancaster. He was commissary of the regiment of troops

raised in Lancaster county in 1775, and which was destined

to reinforce Arnold at Boston. All through the Revolution

he was very active on the side of the colonies, and his cor-

respondence in 1779, as chairman of the committee on the

supply and regulation of the flour market, shows him to have

been a good writer and a shrewd practical business man.

He was a member of the Continental Congress from 178i

till 1786. Mr. Henry was a man of the strictest honesty

and known probity. He was possessed of a strong and in-

dependent mind, and yet his conscience was one of the most

tender. He had a full and abiding faith in revelation, and

his trust in the Eedeemer seemed to him all-assuring in his

later years. He was a strict and consistent member of the

.Moravian church. Ever of a benevolent and unsuspecting

mind, Mr. Henry acted through life upon the principle,

" that we should consider every one as possessing probity

until we discover him to be otherwise." He died December

15th, 1786.

HERE, Benjamin, a member of the Legislature in 1843

and 18-±-±.

HERE, Benj. G., a member of the Legislature in 1837,

1838 and 1839.

HERE, Christian, a County Commissioner in 1812.


HEEE, Daniel, a member of the Legislature in 1852 and

1853.

HEEE, Dr. Elias B., was born the 1st of May, 1833, in

Manor township. His descent may be traced down from

one of five brothers who came from Europe prior to 1710.

He was educated in the schools of John Beck, Litiz, and also

in the York County Academy. At the age of eighteen he

commenced the study of medicine with Dr. F. A. Muhlen-

berg, of Lancaster, and graduated at the New York Uni-

versity in March, 1851 ; he immediately followed his pro-

fession, and at the same time took a great interest in the

cause of education, especially in his native district. Politi-

cally, he has always been an active Eepublican, and was-

elected to the Legislature of Pennsylvania in 1869.

*HEEE FAMILY. John Herr came to this country in

1710, from Switzerland, bringing with him his four sons,

and others of his friends; he had five sons married, Abraham,

Christian, Emanuel, John and Isaac. Christian had come

to this country before the rest of the family.

Abraham Herr was the oldest, and came with his father

in 1710. He was married in Europe, and had a large family,

some of his children being grown and married. He settled near

Wabank, on the west side of the Conestoga creek. He was

the only one of the family that settled in Manor township,

and having several children grown when he came there, the

family became very numerous.

Christian Herr was a minister of the Mennonite church,

and was the first of the family in this country. He camewith Martin Kendig, John Mylin, and others, in the year

1709. They were pleased with the country, and concluded

to send for the rest of their friends. They therefore cast

lots who should go, and the lot fell on Christian, their minis-

ter ; they not wishing him to go, Martin Kendig offered to

go, and in 1710 brought over the rest of the Herr family,

and others. Christian built a house of sandstone in 1719,

half a mile east of Willow Street, where it stands yet, with

his name and the date upon it, now in possession of David

*Conti-ibntecl by Christian Herr (farmer), "West Lampeter.

21


Huber. Christian had three sous, John, Christian and Abra-

ham.

John lived on the farm now owned by John Musselman,

about one mile from Willow Street, on the road leading

from Willow Street to Strasburg, and part of the original

tract owned by his father. Christian. He had five sons,

named Abraham, John, Benjamin, Christian and David.

Christian lived on the farm now owned and occupied by

David Huber, a half mile west of where his brother John lived

;

and also part of the original tract owned by his father,

Christian. He had two daughters—both married Kendigs

;

one afterwards married Michael Withers. Her daughter, by

the first husband, married George Withers, the brother of

Michael. George was the father of Michael and George,

living in Lancaster.

Abraham lived on the farm and in the mansion house

built by his father, he falling heir to the home division of

the original tract. He had four daughters—two married

Barr brothers; one married a Huber, grandparent of David

Huber, now owning said property ; the other married a

Shaub. The family name expires with Abraham.

Eev. Christian's Son John's Family. Abraham carried

on milling on Pequea creek, on the road from Lampeter

Square to Strasburg, where Daniel K. Herr now resides.

He had five sons, and one daughter, married to John Huber.

Their names were Abraham, John, Tobias, David and

Emanuel.

John carried on milling on Pequea creek, near Souders-

burg, now in possession of Benj. Herr, a grandson of said

John. He had two children, one son and a daughter. Theformer, named John, also a miller. The daughter married

Samuel Herr, grandson of Emanuel.

Benjamin lived where John Holl lives now in Strasburg.

He died without issue.

Christian (Big) lived on the farm now owned and occupied

by the author of this sketch, C. Herr, (farmer). He had two

sons and five daughters. The sons, named Benjamin and

Christian. The daughters married Jacob Breneman, Chris-

tian Suavely, Martin Mylin (blacksmith, and grandson of old


John or Hans Mjlin), Martin Light and Martin Herr, (grandson

of Emanuel, one of the sons of the original John or Hans Herr).

David lived on the farm occupied by his father, John. Hewas the youngest of the family. He had two children,

both daughters, named Betsy and Martha. The former

married Adam Herr, (a grandson of Emanuel and a brother

of Martin, who married Big Christian Herr's daughter). The

other married Christian Brackbill. Here David's family

name ends. This also ends the record of John's family. I

shall now take their children, beginning with Abraham's

(miller) children.

Abraham's (miller) Children. Abraham lived on the

farm occupied by his son a few years ago, adjoining his

father's mill property, situated on the west side of Pequea

creek. He had three children, all sons. Henry, (who died

single), John and Abraham.

John lived on the homestead occupied by his father and

carried on milling ; he had one son, Samuel.

Tobias lived near Strasburg, on property now owned byJohn Book. He had four sons and three daughters. Ben-

jamin, John, David and Tobias. Naucy married John

Shenk ; Betsy married a Hoffman, and she dying, he married

Hettie, the youngest.

David lived near his father, on part of the homestead, in

what is now called Turniptown. He had one son, Benjamin,

who was killed in his grandfather's mill, then in possession of

to his cousin, Samuel (John's son). He went to the cog-pit

start the hoisting apparatus, and while doing so accidentally

fell and was crushed to death ; stopping the mill, the gearing

had to be taken apart to get him out. This occurred in 1830.

He had also two daughters ; one married Adam Beck.

Emanuel settled somewhere in the vicinity of Martic Forge,

and reared a family there. One of his sons was named Levi.

John's (miller) Family. John lived on the place occu-

pied by his father. He carried on milling, and was a justice

of the peace. He had three sons and four daughters; namely,

Benjamin, (miller), John and Henry ; Maria, who died single;

one married to Henry Witmer, one to Amos Witmer, and

one to George Lefever.


Christian's (big) Family. Benjamin lived on the farm

formerly occupied by his father, Christian, (big). He sold

his farm and went west, leaving some of his children mar-

ried here. He had six sons and three daughters, viz : Annamarried John Bachman, Lizzie married John Herr, her se-

cond cousin, son of Tobias Herr, and grandson of AbrahamHerr, (miller), but Lizzie dying, he married her sister Maria.

The sons were Martin, Eudolph, David, Benjamin, Christian

and George.

Christian lived on the road leading from Willow Street to

Martic Forge, about one mile south of Willow Street. Hehere carried on the distilling business. Afterwards he went

west with his family. One of his daughters married her

first cousin, George, a son of Benjamin.

John, also a grandson of Abraham, was married and lived

as a renter, here and there. Two of his sons live in the

eastern part of the county.

Abraham, also a grandson of Abraham, lived by the side

of his uncle John's mill. He lived there and raised a family

of three sons and four daughters. "One daughter married

Aaron Witmer. Abraham has two children; Christian has

one, and Elam two children.

Henry, Abraham's son, was a grandson of old Abraham,

the miller, and died single.

John's Family. Samuel carried on milling, where his

forefathers before him carried on the trade. He was mar-

ried, but died without issue.

Tobias' Children. Benjamin studied law and practiced

in Lancaster.

John lives on the road from Willow Street to Conestoga

Centre, in Pequea township.

David lives in Lancaster.

Tobias lives above Lancaster.

John's (squire) Children. Benjamin lives on the home-

stead of his forefathers, and also is a miller. He is married.

John lives on the road from Strasburg to Paradise, at

Fairview.

Henry lives in Lancaster.

Emanuel Herr, one of the five sons that came to Lan-


caster in 1710, pitched his tent on the bank of the Pequea

creek, on the road from Strasburg to Lancaster, where John

Musselman now resides. It was he that built the first mill

there, ran the burrs by water and the bolt by hand. Hewas married and had three sons : Eev. John, Martin and

Emanuel, and one daughter, who married a man named Car-

penter ; they were the parents of Christian Carpenter, and

grandparents of Israel and William Carpenter, of Lancaster

city. Hon. John W. Forney's (editor of the Press) mother,

was a sister of Christian Carpenter.

Eev. John built his house and farmed the property nowowned by Henry Keener, about one mile southwest from Stras-

burg. He was twice married and had two sons by his first wife

:

John and Francis ; and b}'' his second wife three sons : Henry,

Martin and Adam ; and four daughters ; two of these daugh-

ters married Witmers, one married Tobias Herr, and the

other married David Strohm, father of Hon. John Strohm.

Emanuel lived on the place owned now by Mrs. John Brack-

bill, near that of John Musselman's. He built the house

there, was married and had one son, Samuel, and three daugh-

ters ; one married Henry Miller and another John Kendig.

John's (minister) Children. John carried on milling at

the mill formerly occupied by his father and built by his

grandfather, now owned by John Musselman. John rented

this mill to Mr. Gray ; Gray put in a conveyor to carry the

ground wheat to the bolt ; when Gray's time had expired

John took out the conveyor and said that this made lazy

millers, and made them carry it by hand again. He married

and had one son, John.

Francis's Family. Francis built the house torn down a

few years ago by Gabriel Wenger, and farmed that property,

owned by him now. He married Fanny Barr, a daughter

of Mr. Barr ; who married a daughter of John's one of the five

brothers. He had three sons : John, Francis and Martin

;

and five daughters : Anna married Henry Mylin (a great

grandson of the original Hans Mylin who came in with the

five Herr brothers) ; Esther married Martin Eshleman,

Francis married Benjamin Eshleman, Martha married Abra-

ham Groff (saw miller), and Lizzie died single.


Henry lived on the farm owned by Jacob Rolirer, in

Strasburg township, north of Bunker Hill.

Martin lived on the farm now owned by his son Abraham,alongside of his father and grandfather's mill, across the

creek. He was married three times ; his first wife was a

daughter of (Big) Christian;the third wife was Susan Buck-

waiter. With the last wife he had ten children : Four boys,

Abraham, Adam, John and Henry; six daughters, Esther

was married to Mr. Metzler, Lizzie married Mr. Kreider,

Mary married Jacob Huber (a grandson of the original

Christian, one of the five brothers), Susan married Eev.

John Kinports, Anna to Abner Eohrer, and Martha married

Christian Miller.

Adam lives -on the home-place, where his father lived,

which property his father obtained with his last wife. Hewas married to Elizabeth Herr, (a daughter of David H'err,

and great grand-daughter of the original Christian, one of the

five brothers). He had five sons, viz : Daniel, Adam, Chris-

tian, David and John. He had three daughters, viz : Martha

married David Herr, (whose mother was a sister of Martha's

father, and from his father's side he was great-great grand-

son of the original Christian, one of the five brothers.)

Elizabeth married Levi Lefever.

Emanuel's Family. Samuel lived close by the mill

formerly owned by John Herr, (Squire). The farm lay east

or southeast of the mill. He was married to John Herr's

(squire) sister, (great grand-daughter of the original Chris-

tian, one of the five brothers). He had three sons, viz

:

John, Benjamin, and Emanuel; and two daughters; Annamarried Frank Kendig, and Sarah married Abraham Keagy^

Eev. John's Grand-children. John lived at the mill

formerly owned by his father, his grandfather, and his great-

grandfather, Emanuel, one of the five brothers. He mar-

ried Christiana Mylin, (who was a great grand-daughter of

Hans Mylin,.who came_with the five Herr brothers). Hehad two sons, Francis and Martin ; and one daughter, Lizzie,

who married a man named Zercher.

John lived on the farm now owned by his son, Johni

F. Herr, one-half mile north of Strasburg. He married


Elizabeth Groff, (who was a grand-daughter of Mr. Forrer,

who married the daughter of John, one of the five brothers).

He had two sons, Benjamin G. and John F., and six daughters

;

Mary was married to Christian Herr, EHzabeth to Eev.

Daniel Musser, Anna to Henry Frantz, Martha to Dr. Jacob

Musser, Naomi to Dr. Benjamin Musser, and Fanny, died

single.

Francis' father divided the homestead, and gave the east-

ern half to him ; he lived on it ; it is now owned by his son

Francis. He married Fanny Neff, whose father, Jacob Neff,

married a grand-daughter of John Herr, one of the five

brothers. He had three sons, Amos, Gyrus and Francis,

and five daughters. Elizabeth married Adam Herr, whowas a great grandson of Emanuel; Anna married Martin

Weaver, Charlotte married Henry Herr, (who was son of

Martin and great grandson of Emanuel) ; Fanny and Amandaare single.

Martin lived on the home-place with his father, Francis.

He married Polly Herr, (daughter of John Herr, grand-

daughter of Abraham Herr, great grand-daughter of Eev.

John, and great-great-grand- daughter of John, one of the

five brothers). He had two daughters; Mary married John

Kendig, and Martha married Gabriel Wenger.

Martin's Family. Abraham lives in Lampeter Square,

and married Susan Hess.

Adam died single.

John lives also in Lampeter Square. He married Fanny

Kreider, and has two sons and three daughters.

Henry now lives in Lampeter. He, previous to this, carried

on milling, where his son. Rev. Daniel K. Herr, carries on

now. He was married three times. He had one son, D. K.

Herr, (Rev.) and two daughters ; Susan, married to Daniel

Musser ; and Lizzie.

Adam's (brother of Martin) FAitiLY. Daniel Herr

lives on thp Philadelphia pike below Greenland. He was

married to Sarah Strohm. He has three sons and three

daughters.

Adam lives on a part of the farm now farmed by his son

Alpheus, and formerly owned by Abraham Groff (saw

288 BI06EAPHICAL HISTORY

miller). He married Elizabeth Herr (daughter of Francis

and great-grand-daughter of Emanuel.) He has one son and

one daughter.

Christian lived on the farm now owned by David Kendig,

in West Lampeter township. He married Maria Light,

whose father was married to (Big) Christian Herr's daughter.

He had two sons and two daughters.

David kept store in Lampeter Square ; afterwards went to

Ohio. He was married to Mary Landis. He had six chil-

dren, two sons and four daughters

John lives on a property close to the Green Tree Hotel, on

the Beaver Valley turnpike. He was married to Anna Herr,

daughter of the Eev. Christian Herr, of Pequea, and has but

one son, Benjamin.

Samuel's Family. John lived below Strasburg, and died

there in 1871.

Benjamin died single.

Emanuel lived on the place now owned by John B. Herr.

He went to Maryland 25 years ago.

John's (miller) Family. Francis received the mill from

his father, but traded it with Michael Musselman for a piece

of land in Paradise township. He was married to Lydia

Barr, and had two daughters ; one married Henry Stehman,

and the other Nathaniel Mayrs.

Martin lives on the farm alongside of John Musselman's

mill. He was married to Eliza Suavely, and has one son and

one daughter, both single.

Rev. John's Family. Benjamin G. lives on the farm

alongside of that on which his father lived, and he devotes his

time principally to literature ; has written some eight or ten

books of poems. He was a member of the Pennsylvania

Legislature for three years, 1836, 1837 and 1838. He was

married to Mary Emma Witmer, and has five sons and three

daughters.

John F. lives on the homestead occupied by his father,

Bev. John, and farms his father's farm. He was a member

of the Pennsylvania Legislature for one term. He was mar-

ried to Martha Musser, and has three sons and two daugh-

ters.

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 28^

Francis's Children. Amos lives at Longenecker's meet-

ing-liouse, and on the farm formerly occupied by John

Longeneaker. He was married and has four sons and five

daughters.

Cyrus lives on the farm formerly occupied by David Miller,

and adjoining the land south of the homestead of his father.

He was married to Mary A. Brackbill, and has four sons

and one daughter.

Franklin lives on the home-place occupied by his father

before him. He was married to Sarah Frantz and has eight

children ; three sons and five daughters.

Eev. D. K. Herr (miller) grandson of Martin and son of

Henry, lives on the mill property owned by his father, Henry.

He was married to Susan Musser, and has one son.

John Herr, one of the original five sons that were the

first settlers of the Herr family in Lancaster county, built a

homestead on a tract of land of 530 acres, which he bought

of William Penn for £30 6s., with a rent of a silver English

shilling yearly for every hundred acres ; his title was dated

July 3, 1711. He built his house of sandstone; said house

being on the same site of Jacob Herr's present house, whoresides therein; said house being some five miles south of

Lancaster, on the road from New Providence to Lancaster,

in West Lampeter township. John had six children; two

sons and four daughters, named John, Christian ; Anna mar-

ried a Forrer; one was married to aBurkholder; one to a

Barr, and one to Ulrich Brackbill. All the Brackbills in

the county come from this family—Ulrich being the only son;

he (Ulrich) had one sister named Barbara, who married a

Oroff; they being the father and mother of my grandmother

on my father's side. This Brackbill family came to

America in 1717.

John was born in Europe, came in with his father,

was a small boy at the time of his father's coming in. Hemarried and lived in the house built by his father, which

was torn down by the Eev. Benj. Herr, a new house being

on the same position, and occupied by Christian B. Herr,

(Benjamin's son), said house bring about three-fourths of a

mile south of where his father lived, on the same road. He


had three children, two sons and one daughter, namedAbraham, Christian, (Pequea); the daughter married a Bach-

enstose.

Christian lived on the homestead where his father lived

before him ; he was married twice ; first to Anna Kendig,

then to Fanny Groff. He had one son and five daughters,

Christian, Fanny, Anna, Mary, Elizabeth and Barbara ; the

three older daughters by the first wife, and the two other bythe last, Christian being the youngest child. Fanny married

Gr. Bressler; Anna, Benjamin Herr, grandson of Chris-

tian, one of the five brothers; Mary married Abraham"Witmer, who built the bridge across the Conestoga, near

Lancaster, on the Philadelphia turnpike road. The two of

the second wife were married; first, Elizabeth, to Jacob Neff;

and Barbara, to John Neff, two brothers.

Abraham lived on the homestead, and married a Barbara

Weaver, and had five sons, named Jacob, John, Abraham,

Martin and Joseph.

Christian lived on the place and in the same house nowoccupied by the Eev. Amos Herr. He married Miss Bow-man; had one son. Christian, and six daughters; one married

to George Diflfenbaugh ; one to John Funk ; one to Chris-

tian Eohrer ; one to Henry Bowman;one died single. As

Christian lived close to Pequea creek, he received the namePequea, which has ever since adhered to his family.

Christian's Children. Christian built a house across

the road from where his father lived ; this house was torn

down a few years ago, and a new one erected by his daughter,

Elizabeth. He had four sons and three daughters ; Chris-

tian, John, Benjamin and Jacob, Fanny, Susan and Eliza-

beth. He was married twice ; first, to Elizabeth Withers

;

second, to Mary Eohrer ; two daughters, Fanny and Susan,

by the first wife, and the rest by the latter. Fanny married

Samuel Herr, son of John (miller), grandson of Abraham,(miller), great-grandson of John, and great-great-grandson

of Christian, one of the five brothers ; Susan married Benja-

min Breneman, and Elizabeth remained single.

Abeahaji's Family. Jacob bought a tract of Martin

Kendig, adjoining the home-place of his father. He here


tuilt his house upon it, now occupied by John Tout, and

owned by Jacob Herr. He had one child, Jacob.

John lived on the home-place, formerly occupied by his

father, Abraham. He was married twice ; first to a Miss

Shultz, and then to the widow Staufi'er, formerly Miss Brack-

bill, a grand-daughter of Ulrich Brackbill. He had six

children ; one son, John, and five daughters ; Susan, Polly,

Barbara'—these were of the first wife ;then Elizabeth and

Fanny, of the second wife. Susan married John Barr (he a

grandson of the Barr who married John's daughter, one of

the five brothers) ; he died ; she then married Hon. John

Strohm ; Polly married Martin Herr (son of Francis, grand-

son of Eev. John, and great-grandson of Emanuel, one of the

five brothers) ; Barbara, married to David Strohm, (cousin to

Hon. John Strohm); Elizabeth, to Henry Hess; Fanny, to

Benjamin Suavely, whose mother was a daughter of (big)

Christian, who was a son of John, himself a son of the Eev.

Christian, one of the five brothers.

Abraham lived south of New Providence, and was mar-

ried to a Shaub, who was a daughter of Abraham Herr's,

(son of the Rev. Christian, one of the five brothers) daughter,

who married Henry Shaub. He had three sons, Abraham,

John and Martin; and one daughter, Polly, who married

Jacob Groff.

Martin lived near New Providence, afterwards owned byMowrer. He had three children, two sons, Benjamin and

Martin; and one daughter, Barbara, who married Simon

Groff.

Joseph settled on a farm now owned by Mr. Myers, situ-

ated near the termination of the turnpike leading from the

Lamb Tavern, on the Willow Street pike, to Marticville.

He married Maria Forrer, (who was a grand- daughter of the

Forrer who married the daughter of John Herr, one of the

five brothers). He had eight children, five sons, viz : Abra-

ham, Christian, Joseph, Martin and David ; he had three

daughters; Nancy, who married a Stoner; Barbara, whomarried Lsaac Houser ; Maria, who married John Harnish.

This ends the children of .Abraham.

Christian lived in the house and farmed the place which


liis father, Christian, (Pequea), occupied before him. Hemarried Nancy Forrer, a sister of Maria Ferrer, who mar-

ried his cousin Joseph. He had eight children, six sons

and two daughters ; Benjamin (Rev.), Elias, Christian, Joseph,

Amos (Rev.), and Daniel ; Maria married John Brackbill, a

descendant of Ulrich Brackbill ; Anna, who married JohnHerr, who was a great-grandson of Emanuel, one of the five

brothers.

Christian, son of Christian, grandson of Christian, and

great-great-grandson of John, one of the five brothers,

lives on the farm formerly occupied by (big) Chris-

tian, one mile southeast of Willow Street. He married

Mary Herr, daughter of the Rev. John Herr, (she being

great-great-grand-daughter of Emanuel, one of the five

brothers). He had two sons, Amaziah and Ezra, and three

daughters, Lizzie (dead), Louisa and Addie ; the daughters

all single.

John lived on the farm formerly owned by Joseph Lea-

mon, and adjoining, on the north that of his father's home-

stead, the whole being a part of the original tract of 530

acres. He was thrown from his horse crossing the creek at

Herr's mill, formerly owned by Samuel, married to his sister

Fanny. He was married to Susan Rohrer, daughter of

Christian Rohrer. He had five children, two boys, Aldus

and Henry; Fanny, who married John Brackbill, jr.; Sarah

Ann and Lizzie, both single.

Benjamin lives on the place formerly owned by Martin

Kendig, who came in with the five brothers. The old house

which Martin built, was used by Benjamin until he built a

new one by the side of it. The old house was then used as

a private school house for several families. Benjamin was

married twice. First to Catharine Bair, by whom he had

two children, Christian S. B., and Mary Ann, who married

Christian Witmer, (minister). By his second wife, AnnaSener, he had three sons, Sanner, Millo, and Aldus.

Jacob lives on the old homestead where his father, grand-

father and great-grandfather lived. He married Anna Mus-

ser, and has seven children ; five sons, viz : Benjamin,

Hebron, Jacob, Francis and Amos ; two daughters, one

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. ' 293

married David Hess, the other is single. Here ends the record

of Christian's children ; we now recur to that of Abraham's

(who married Barbara Weaver), descendants.

Jacob lived on the farm of his father. He married Martha

Forrer, and had four children, three daughters and one son;

Jacob F., who married Barbara Witmer, and has seven chil-

dren, five sons and two daughters; Mary and Anna died

single; Barbara married Tobias Kreider, (minister).

John lived on the old home-place with his father, John,

but went to Ohio some 37 years ago, and settled near Colum-

bus. He had four sons, Levi, (a noted horse trainer and

dealer, living, at Lexington, Kentucky), Christian, Francis

and John, all in Ohio.

Abraham is dead, and his family is scattered.

John, his son, married a Miss Bartholomew, and had two

daughters, Susan and Lizzie; the former is single, and the

latter is married to Henry Miller.

Martin's Family. Benjamin was a fuller by trade, and

carried on the fulling business at Martin Huber's, below the

Valley tavern.

Martin was married to Jacob Martin's daughter.

Joseph's Family. Abraham lives with his brother Chris-

tian at Groff & Landis's mill on the Willow Street pike. Hemarried Miss Stouer. He had four children, two sons namedAbraham and Isaac, (and this Abraham is married and has

five children, two sons and three girls).

Christian lives on the farm spoken of in my last record of

Abraham. He was married to a Hess, and has six children:

four sons.

Joseph, a carpenter by trade, lives in Willow Street, on

the road from Lancaster to Marticville. He married Miss

Snavely, and has three children.

Martin Herr married a Miss Miller, and left four daughters.

Eev. Christian's (Pequea) Faiiily. Benjamin lives on

the property where the original John, one of the five broth-

er's sons, John (the minister) lived. He married Nancy Bren-

neman, and has two children. He is a bishop of the Menno-

nite church.

Elias lives on a farm now belonging to his son Elias, and

22


lying over east from where his father lived. He has been

married three times. He has five children ; four sons : Jere-

miah, Andrew, Elias, and Benjamin; and Mary Ann, married

to Elias Groff.

Christian (Pequea) lives adjoining farm to his brothers

Elias and Benjamin. He married Susan Breckbill, sister to

John Breckbill, who married his sister Maria. He has four

children ; three sons, John, Levi and Christian (Pequea), and

one daughter.

Joseph lives on the property formerly owned by his aunt

Barbara Forrer. He was married to Hetty Stauffer, and

lias two daughters.

Eev. Amos lives on the old homestead owned by his father

and grandfather. He was married to Elizabeth Eohrer, and

Las one son, Christian, and three daughters; one married to

Benj. Suavely, one to Mr. Eonk; the other is single.

Daniel lives about half a mile down the pike from where

his brother Amos lives. He carries on the lime-burning

business extensively. He was married to Anna Breneman,

and has two sons, Enos and Eeuben ; and Lizzie, a daughter,

who was married to Christian S. B. Herr.

HEEE, John, was a member of the Legislature in 1838.

HEEE, John F., was a member of the Legislature in 1854.

HEEE, John, the founder or organizer of the New Men-

nonite church, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,

September 18th, 1781. His father, Francis, was the son of

Emanuel Herr, one of the five sons of Hans Herr, who emi-

grated to Lancaster county in the year 1710. Hans Herr

was the pastor and spiritual leader of a large colony of

emigrants who made their way into the bounds of Lancaster

county, and settled in what was known as the Pequea valley, and

which is now included in the townships of Strasburg, Lampe-

ter, Conestogaand others. The subject ofoursketchbelonged

to a family noted in the early history of our county as

leaders in religious opinions, many of whom were clergymen

of the Mennonite persuasion. It would seem somewhat ap-

propriate in this connection, to glance at the causes which

induced the important movement in the Mennonite church,


which ultimated in its division into the old and new com-

munions. It is an event of august concern in our county's

history ; one which deserves some consideration, and would

space warrant, (which it does not) it should be treated in full

detail. The inceptive impulse which led to the separation

of the church was given by Francis Herr, the father of our

subject. For sufficient reasons, Francis Herr became dis-

united with the old Mennonite church' of his fathers, and so

remained till the period of his death. Being a man of

considerable intellectual vigor, he was able to attract a

number of followers who sympathized with him in his views,

and who were in the habit of meeting together for spiritual

conversation and edification of each other. In these meetings

of Francis Herr and his followers nothing seems to have been

further in view than to endeavor to act in accordance with

Christ's promise, that he would be in the midst of two or

three of those who should meet together in his name. These

small assemblies were congregated in the name of the Re-

deemer, and His promise was fervently invoked upon their

meetings. The design of founding an antagonistic church to

that to which his ancestry had belonged, never perhaps

entered the thoughts of Francis Herr or any of his followers.

He was an earnest investigator of the doctrines of MennoSimon, and he critically compared them with the teaching

of the gospel and the whole of the New Testament. This

'The Mennonite Christians exhibit a simplicity of faith and worship

that serves to call to mind the early days of the reformation epoch.

Deducing their views from the literal sense of Scripture, they have not

been seduced into the reception of new-coined and rationalistic theolo-

gies that have since the beginning of the eighteenth century been stea-

dily making their way into the other churches of England, Holland,

France and Germany. They may, (especially in America), therefore, be

regarded as presenting the faith-type which most clearly portrays that

which obtained in Europe in the sixteenth century. They have suc-

cessfully resisted the insinuating currents of free thought that have been

creeping into many of the other churches of Europe and America

during the last one hundred and fifty years, and on this account they

stand nearer than most others in accord with the views of the Reformed

fathers. Perched upon the mount of Gospel faith, the rippling brook of

deistic unbelief, the encyclopedic stream of French infidelity, and the

surging flood of German rationalism have passed by scarcely noticed by

the inerudite followers of Menno Simon; and the opinions of this early


investigation served but to convince him that the teaching

of that reformer was fully supported in the discourses of

Christ and his apostles, and his chief aim seemed simply to

be to aid in building up life-examples as the gospel enjoined.

Doctrine, without a corresponding walk and conversation

would, in his view, be of no avail. In all his exhortations

to his small flock of followers, he urged upon them in the

most emphatic manner, holiness of life and uprightness and

godliness in all manner of conversation. What should it

benefit him to be a full believer in the tenets of Menno

Simon if his action did not conform thereto, and his walk be

upright and pure. In a hol_7 life, therefore, as he thought,

did all Christian godliness consist.

In all this he had before him the example of the reformers

of the sixteenth century. With them he agreed in endeavor-

ing to bring back the purity of the early ages. Nothing

further was his aim than the rejuvenation of Christian sim-

plicity and piety in the life and actions of his small band of

faithful followers. All this, in his estimation, was attainable

outside of nominal church organization; and the communionof the spirit of Christ and his fellowship was all that was

desirable. This could be secured in the bosom of his small

company of sympathizers, who were in the habit of meeting

together for mutual consolation.

But at length the winged arrow of death bore Francis

reformer yet shine in tlie vales of the fatherland and on the American

continent in all their pristine purity.

The important movement in the Mennonite church, the establishment

of a theological seminary in Europe in 1735, was an event that occurred

after their early settlements had been made in Amei'ica. This has given

to the European church an educated ministry, and an array of dis-

tinguished Mennonite clergymen stand conspicuous in modern eccle-

siastical history. Their brethren in America prefer, on the contrary,

pastors of apostolic simplicity, and as yet maintain with a tenacious

grasp the uncorrupted creed of their fathers.

The American Jlennouites see in Christianity a perfect system as it

flowed forth from the mouth of the Redeemer of mankind, instead of

being a progressive science as is contended by learned modern expositors.

Little else in their view is required of the ministers of Christ, save that

they shaU be able to read the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

The critical acumen of a Reimarus, Wolff, Ernesti, or Sender, is not

desired by these plain followers of the ancient doctrines.


Herr from the scenes of his life's activity and from the com-

panionship of his faithful circle of followers, and his freed

spirit took its flight to regions beyCJTTfl the skies. His mantle,

however, fell upon worthy shoulders—upon him whose task

it should become as the master workman to polish the un-

hewn material that his father had been gathering, and there-

from erect a living temple fitted to resist the adverse blasts

of persecution, and which is being constantly increased, en-

larged and beautified. The architect of the Christian edifice

referred to is the subject of our notice.

Of the youthful career of John Herr, whose sketch wepen, little data exist. Having never preserved any diary

of his labors, all that can be gathered of his career comes

through tradition. It is, however, inferable from the career

in which his father was engaged, that our subject was trained

in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and that the lessons

of truth and morality were taught him by his pious mother.

It is said of him that in youth he was of a gay and lively

disposition, fond of society, and that he engaged in the sports

of his comrades to a great extent. His conscience was, how-

ever, cast in a tender mould, and his horror of sin was so

acute that he frequently lamented with tears during the

night, the follies of which by day he had been guilty. In

these secret hours of the night, when all around him was

hushed in sleep, he would deplore his imperfections and

promise to the Saviour an amendment of his course of life.

But these, like the ordinary evanescent promises of youth,

were forgotten. The dawn of day and the appearance of hia

youthful comrades, again dispelled the good resolves, and

carnal desires and natural enjoyments soon seated them-

selves in his affections.

His educational attainments were of limited scope. Be-

sides the acquisition of the simple elementary branches of

reading, writing and arithmetic, he as a youth was not favored.

Being possessed of a very retentive memory, he exhibited a

great taste for reading, and was remarkably fond of investi-

gation. He seldom accepted anything without prior care-

ful study, and the reason of everything must be apparent.

What little spare time he was able to snatch from the labors

298 BIOGEAPHICAL HISTOKY

of the farm, he sedulously devoted to the reading of sucb

works as came within his reach. His father's library, how-

ever, being composed of but few books, save of the religious

and devotional kind, it is reasonable to suppose that he

should become well versed in the Bible and works of a reli-

gious character. In his youth, therefore, he perused works

on Church History and the Reformation, the lives of the

Martyrs, writings of Josephus and those of Menno Simon,

besides others; and his inquisitive mind led him thoroughly

to investigate the doctrines of the Mennonite church, which

he found, like his father before him, to accord with the Gos-

pel. It is doubtful at this time whether he had access to

any works on profane history, biography, travels or polite

literature. The only works of fiction, indeed, that he ever

read, were the writings of John Bunyan ; and he uniformly

condemned the practice of devoting valuable time to the

reading of modern novels. Poetry he appreciated very

highly, especially if of a devotional character; and in his

mature years he composed hymns on frequent occasions. Asregards science, art and rhetoric, he had no opportunities

whatever in his youth to acquire a knowledge of them ; and

yet in his old age he had attained a fund of general infor-

mation upon all these subjects. His extensive intercourse

for many years with various classes of society, some of them

the best scholars in the country, his great powers of obser-

vation, his faculty for minute analysis, his extraordinary

memory and his extensive reading, caused him to become in

his latter years, if not profound, at least well informed upon

all ordinary topics.

As above stated, John Herr's youth was chiefly spent in

the reading of the Bible and other religious works, and in

hearing the important question of the soul's salvation and

the scheme of redemption discussed by his father, and by

those he met in argument. His naturally bright mind availed

itself of the opportunity thus afforded, and he soon became

well trained in this particular field which so admirably qual-

ified him for the great work for which he was destined^

When the period arrived for him to begin the work, his

preparation had been of such a character, that he entered.


thereon, not simply as in the performance of a duty, but

with the greatest of pleasure and zeal did he inaugurate the

great work of his life.

Upon the death of his father, being painfully exercised by

the conviction of sin, he took occasion to reveal the state of

his feelings to some of his father's friends, who were also

similarly concerned for their own salvation. But owing to

the increase of worldly cares devolved upon him by the

death of his father, he permitted himself again to grow lan-

guid in his love for Christ, and for a time seemed to regret

that he had revealed his spiritual emotions to his friends.

This state of feeling having continued for some months, an

incident occurred in his career that served to lead him back

to God. He now resigned himself wholly to the Lord, and

soon found comfort. The friends who had sympathised with

his father, were still in the habit of meeting together and

mutually comforting each other in spiritual converse. John

Herr now became a constant attendant at these meetings.

At one of these, held during the year 1810, Mr. Herr was

requested to give his experience upon the all important

question of the soul's salvation. This was an important

epoch in the life of Mr. Herr. Clothed, as he felt, in

the garb of truth, and mailed in the armor of righteousness,

with the sword of the spirit in his hand, he stepped forward

ready to battle and die, if need be, in the cause of the Ee-

deemer. Animated by sympathy for lost humanity, and

gratitude to God for His merciful plan of salvation, he

addressed the small auditory in words of peace and comfort.

Then it was that the firm resolve was made, that come what

might, while life would last, his time and talents should be

devoted to the cause of Christ; that he would mete out to

his fellow-men the consolations of redemption, warn them

of their folly and the wickedness of sin, and point out the

way of truth as God should vouchsafe to instruct him. In

spite of his comparative youth, being but as yet in bis

twenty-ninth year ; in spite of adverse surrounding circum-

stances, he nevertheless dared the scorn of the ungodly, met

the jeers of his associates, and openly braved the opposition

, of the whole unchristian world. His remarks, altogether

300 BIOGRAPHICAL HXSTOHY

impromptu, breathed severe denunciations of sin and all un-

righteousness. And at the same time in burning strains of

eloquence he presented to his hearers a vivid delineation of

the great richness of divine grace and the wonderful sub-

limity and awful grandeur of the God-conceived plan of

salvation for the souls of miserable and fallen men.

The sermon of Mr. Herr, delivered on that occasion, was, as

tradition tells us, an extraordinary efi'ort, in the opinion of

his illiterate and simple-minded hearers. In their opinion, it

surpassed anything they had ever heard. For profundity of

sentiment and eloquent invective, poignancy of grief at the

wickedness of the age ; for clear, logical elucidation of man's

requirements; for sublime invocations for mercy and aid, it

could not, as his auditors conceived, be surpassed. The effort

must have been indeed extraordinary. No sooner was the

news spread abroad that Mr. Herr had preached such a

powerful sermon, than applications poured in upon him to

preach in various parts of the county. His services came in

great demand on funeral occasions. He was at once chosen

the leader of the new flock. The tree which his father

Praucis had planted and nursed so carefully for many years,

now began to bear its fruit under the auspices of John Herr.

The soil was well watered by the penitent tears of himself

and co-laborers.

The fact that Mr. Herr was a decided radical on religious

subjects; that he would not compromise his views and thereby

sacrifice his sense of right, soon brought him into contro-

versy with clergymen of different denominations. Manywere the foul charges and false slanders that were heaped

upon his head. His motives were impugned and his views

misconstrued. Ridicule and derision were hurled at him in

great abundance, but they fell harmlessly at his feet. The

envenomed shafts of calumny that poured in upon him from

every side, never ruifled the serenity of his disposition, or

excited in him anything save emotions of pain and sorrow;

and in return he simply offered up prayers for the souls of

his calumniators. He veritably fulfilled the scripture injunc-

tion, in praying for those ^^who despitefully use you and

jpersecute you." Nothing, however, debarred his onward


progress; the more he was maligned and persecuted, the

more strenuous were his exertions ; and in spite of the most

untoward circumstances, his influence steadily extended.

New accessions were constantly being made to the ranks of

his sympathizers. In the month of April, 1811, the ordi-

nance of baptism was first administered in the new body.

On this occasion Mr. Herr was baptized by Abraham Groft',

who, in turn, in company with Abraham Landis, was baptized

by Mr. Herr. The organization known as the "Eeformed

Mennonite," or " New Mennonite" church, was instituted bythis trio. They commenced by holding regular meetings at

stated periods ; instituted the regular church ordinances,

such as baptism and the breaking of bread ; established a

regular system of rules of church government in accordance

with the injunctions of the apostles. Mr. Herr was at once

recognized as their pastor, and was subsequently elected

bishop. Their proceedings occasioned great excitement in

the community, and, as a consequence, their meetings were

attended by numbers prompted by mere curiosity. Mr.

Herr's labors were soon heavy and exacting; he not only

preached regularly and attended frequently at funerals, but

was continually sought by individuals at home and abroad

to offer the consolations of religion at the bedside of the

sick and the dying. His time was so largely occupied in

duties of this kind, that he was unable to devote much time

to his private affairs. In this he greatly sacrificed, as re-

gards pecuniary matters, for he was unwilling to receive any

compensation in lieu of his time and services, feeling that

the ministrations of the gospel should not be made a means

of worldly accumulation ; and he from the first, made up his

mind to look for his reward in the blessings promised to the

faithful who labor in the vineyard of the Lord. Nor did his

temporal affairs fail him. Indeed, to such an extent did

they flourish, that he had always sulficient to live upon and

rear his family in comfort and independence.

In the autumn of the same year, Mr. Herr baptized fifteen

penitent souls, among whom was included his wife, whostood by him faithfully in all his trials and tribulations, and

his venerable mother. He proceeded in his undertaking in.

802 BIOGKAPHICAL HISTOEY

the even tenor of his way, exhorting, preaching and discus-

sing at times with those that disagreed with him in opinion,

and all the while was steadily gaining new converts to his

opinions. His object was not, however, to build up a large

congregation, merely for the purpose of being their leader.

If such had been his design, he might have secured manymore followers than he did. He admitted none as membersof his congregation without the most thorough examination,

and unless ample proof existed of sincere repentance. Can-

didates, therefore, who desired admission as members of his

church, must undergo a searching ordeal and a trying exam-ination in order to test their fitness for such communion.All this he knew was necessary to keep the church pure and

uncorrupted. It must be preserved free from all corruption

and impurity so far as was possible. He was determined

that, so far as lay in his power, no hypocrite, with assumed

Christian habiliments, should obtrude himself and interfere

with the successful working of the new organization ; and

when, unhappily, a few such were admitted, and a few fell

from grace, he obeyed the apostolic injunction, and of them

made stern examples, and treated them as " publicans and

heathen." By this constant care and vigilance which he

exercised, was he enabled to prevent schism from entering

the organization, and likewise rendered it out of the power

of pride, worldly allurements and vanity to prevail against it.

The services of Mr. Herr all this time were coming more

and more in demand, and many invitations came to him

from abroad to preach for them. He visited and preached

in the neighboring counties of York, Cumberland, Franklin,

Lebanon, Bucks, Montgomery, and others, in most of which

he organized congregations and ordained pastors over them,

who constantly kept him advised of their proceedings. Asa consequence, his correspondence became very large; so

much so, indeed, that nearly all his time unoccupied in

preaching was required to reply to his correspondents. Norwere his labors by any means confined to the localities above

named ; he made repeated visits to New York and Canada,

when traveling was not a matter of the ease and conveni-.

ence of the present day. His mode of conveyance was


either on horseback or in those heavy two-horse wagons

made use of by emigrants before the spring carriage was

invented. On his route he preached at various points, and

planted the nuclei of various congregations, that bore in

after years abundant fruit. He also made several trips to

Ohio and Indiana, when those States were but little re-

claimed from their primitive condition of a wilderness, and

when the crossing of the Alleghenies was regarded as quite

an adventure. He established congregations in both the

above named States, as he did also in later years in the State

of Illinois. As he became advanced in years, and the fruits

of his labors were ripening in distant and more extended

regions, his correspondence grew still more voluminous, so

much so that it became necessary for him to call in aid to

assist him in his labors. His prayers for aid in his arduous

work were not in vain. A band of laborers grew up around

him who were able to challenge the world for piety, disin-

terested benevolence and purity of life. Though not of the

refined and educated, nevertheless, like the humble fisher-

men of Galilee, they were mailed in the holy armor of gos-

pel truth, and with devoted hearts and heroic spirits they

were amply qualified to fight the battles of the Lord. These

came to Mr. Herr's aid, and largely relieved him of the

details of superintendence. But never, until the day of his

death, did anything important or unusual transpire in church

affairs, either at home or abroad, without his knowledge

and never did an important question arise in the whole

church of his organization, wherever scattered, that was not

referred to him for solution.

Notwithstanding Mr. Herr's great correspondence and

other labors connected with the ministrations of church

affairs, he still found time to write several volumes and

pamphlets upon religious topics. They were all written in

German, with the exception of that entitled, his "Eemarka-

ble Vision," which he wrote in English. The others were all

translated into English, and passed through several editions.

In this brief sketch we are unable to analyze his writings,

and speak of them all severally as they deserve. Of his

" Vision," this, however, may be said : that it is a remarkable


work in every sense, and one that indicates a genius of a

high order;and the little work will not sufler when placed

in comparison alongside of the " Pilgrim's Progress."

Mr. Herr maintained an epistolary controversy with a

pastor of the Moravian church of Litiz, which finally re-

sulted in a pamphlet, entitled " a brief and apostolical answer,"

which was published in the year 1819. It is clear, at this

late day, that Mr. Herr had the best of the argument ; andhis clerical antagonist seemed to think so himself, as he never

saw proper to reply. This was not the only instance that

Mr. Herr had such correspondence with clergymen, but it is

the only one that was published.

Had John Herr received the culture of a classical educa-

tion and made jDolitics his study, he could have become a

leader in spite of all opposition. He was an admirable judge

of mankind, and could intuitively almost, as it were, select

those who should execute what he desired to be accomplished.

It is not known, indeed, that he was ever deceived in a single

instance in any of his appointees, whether for the transaction

of church or business matters. And it is somewhat remark-

able that, as in accordance with his religious opinions, a

resort to legal tribunals was not warranted;yet in business

affairs he became the dupe of sharpers and knaves to a muchless extent than is usually the case with business men.

He was a natural born orator. His oratory was both

emphatic and persuasive. He was grandly eloquent whenhe wished to enforce a truth or depict the evils of sin. Aleading feature of his character was his earnestness and sin-

cerity. His reasoning powers were of a high order, and in

argumentative discourse he had few if any equals. He had

a fine voice, and when appealing to sinners to turn from

their evil ways, (and on such occasions made use of his per-

suasive powers,) the eifect was electrical. He was a sound

logician, and fortified his arguments by appropriate quota-

tions. He never spoke from notes, and his impromptu efforts

on the spur of the occasion were frequently his most suc-

cessful ones.

He was a radical in religion, and would have been in

politics had he given it any attention ; but his mind was so


equally poised, that he never would have become agrarian.

His mind was so well balanced, that under no circumstances

did he despond or become unduly excited. He possessed

extraordinary good judgment, was frequently an arbiter be-

tween neighbors, when a dispute arose between them, and his

decisions were always satisfactory. His disposition was mild

and childlike in simplicity;the pauper and degraded had as

free access to his attention as the most respected. His kind-

ness of heart was so proverbial, that he never could gainsay

a legitimate request; but when anything was demanded con-

trary to his principles, no inducement could swerve him from

his course. Except in his religious views, it is doubtful if

John Herr ever had an enemy ; his business transactions

were of such a nature that no one ever took umbrage thereat

;

on the contrary, all his acquaintances were so attracted by

the excellency of his conduct, the unselfishness of his motives,

and by the unostentatious benevolence that characterized all

his labors, both temporal and spiritual, that they became his

devoted friends.

Mr. Herr's sole and only aim in this life, seems to have

been to prepare himself, and point out the way to others, for

a life in the future. And as every person with whom he

came in contact soon became convinced of his sincerity, they

respected him on account of his motives, even though they

differed with him in opinion. In the family relation he was

a perfect model as a son, husband and father. He filled all

these relations creditable to human nature. That he had his

failings in temper and desire, no one was more conscious

than himself; and of this he gave frequent evidence in the

pulpit and his writings. But take Rev. John Herr all in

all, and it may be said of him by one who knew him for

many years, that " his like will not soon be found again."

John Herr was married in 1808, to Elizabeth Groff, a

descendant of Hans Groff, the head of one of the surviving

families who accompanied Hans Herr from Switzerland-

They had ten children, two of whom died in infancy. In

accordance with his sense of duty, Mr. Herr took his last

trip to Canada in 1850. He preached a sermon in the even-

ing, traveled to a neighbor's house to spend the night, and


died on the 3d of May, 1850, far from his wife, his kindred

and connections, and at peace with all the world. He calmly

and willingly resigned his soul into the hands of his Creator,

in the firm and abiding hope that he should receive the

crown of glory prepared for the faithful in the mansions of

eternal rest.

HERSHEY, Christian, elected Commissioner in 1836.

EERSHEY FAMILY. Andrew Hershey was born in

Switzerland in the year 1702, and moved with his father to

the Palatinate. In the year 1719 he and his brother Benja-

min sailed for America and settled in Lancaster county.

His brother Christian also came to America, settling in Lan-

caster in 17.39. The three brothers were each of them chosen

ministers in the Mennonite church. Andrew died in the

year 1792, agt'd ninety years. He left twelve children, viz.:

Christian, Andrew, John, Benjamin, Jacob, Abraham, Isaac,

Henry, Catharine, Maria and Odti.

Andrew Hershey, second son of Andrew, one of the first

settlers, was born in Lancaster county in the year 173-1, and

died July 16th, 1806. By his first wife, named Bachman, he

had one daughter, Catharine, born in the year 1760. His

second wift', Maria, whose maiden name was Acker, was born

September 26th, 1743, and died September 13th, 1831. Byhis second wife he had the following children : Anna, Jacob,

Maria, Andrew, Henry, Elizabeth and John. Anna wasborn February 27th, 1762 ; Jacob was born October 2nd,

1765, and died May 30th, 1821 ; Maria was born May 23d,

1768; Andrew was born September 14th, 1779, and died

August 1st, 1835 ; Henry was born December 19th, 1772;

Elizabeth was born December 5th, 1775;John was born

March 31st, 1783, and died July 16th, 1831.

Andrew Hershe^^, one of the family last named, married

Esther Kauffman, who was born May 31st, 1770, and died

March 3rd, 1829. By her he had the following children,

viz. : Christian, born December 28th, 1796, and died Septem-

ber 5th, 1834 ; Anna, born July 15th, 1799 ;Andrew, born

January 15th, 1802;Maria, born December 9th, 1804 ; Cath-

arine, born January 15th, 1809 ;Esther, born September

11th, 1811 ; Barbara and Elizabeth, born December 9th,


1814; John, born March 14th, 1818;and Magxlalena, born

March 20th, 1821.

HESS, Christian, elected Commissioner in 1851.

HESS, Martin D., Recorder in 1857.

HERTZ, Rev. Daniel, was born in Susquehanna town-

ship, Dauphin county, April 23d, 1796, where he grew up to

manhood. His parents were named Lewis and Rosanna

Hertz. In youth he learned, in Harrisburg, the printing

business, but this not agreeing with his health, he abandoned

it for brick-laying, a trade which he learned with his brother.

In the winter months, not being busied in the business of

his trade, he engaged at intervals in teaching school, and so

continued until having made the acquaintance of Rev. Isaac

Gerhart, he was induced to prepare himself for the ministry.

He began his preparatory studies to this end, under Rev.

Gerhart, and closed them under Dr. Helfenstein, of Phila-

delphia. He entered upon the duties of the ministry some-

where about the year 1821, and after preaching somewhat

desultory for some time, received a call to Ephrata; which

he accepted and entered upon duty at this place in the spring

of 1823. His charge at Ephrata embraced several congre-

gations; and his trial sermon was preached at Muddy creek,

in the same church in which he closed his labors, forty-five

years and six months afterwards. His was a long and faith-

ful pastorate, and his name remains enshrined in the memo-ries of those who oft listened to the words of truth that

flowed from his pure and mellowed lips. In his long and

dutiful service to the congregations of his charge he preached

10,028 regular Sabbath and week-day sermons ; 1,776 funeral

discourses, and united in the bonds of matrimony 1,136

couples. After his long and faithful stewardship he resigned

his charge into other hands, and peacefully breathed out his

soul into the bosom of his Redeemer, September 22d, 1868.

In the words of Rev. J. V. Eckert, the subject of this notice

as a pastor, " was laborious and faithful in his ministry. Hepursued his calling with almost unexampled devotion. Hewas instant in season and out of season. Like his heavenly

master, he went about doing good. , He was systematic,

conscientious, and particular in his calling. His manner and


deportment was higli-toned and manly ; and never com-

plained, nor allowed any one to trifle with his ministerial

character."

HIBSHMAN, Hexry, was elected a member of the Leg-

islature in the years 1811, 1815 and 1821. He was elected

to the State Senate in 1833.

HIBSHMAN, Jacob, was a native of Lancaster county,

and a citizen of great prominence and respectability in the

community. In 1810 he was appointed one of the associate

judges of Lancaster county, the duties of which of&ce he dis-

charged for nine years. In 1818 he was elected a memberof Congress for the district composed of the counties of Lan-

caster, Lebanon and Dauphin. He filled the office of Dep-

uty Surveyor for the county of Lancaster, for a period of

upwards of twenty years. He was appointed by the Gover-

nor Appraiser of Damages, suffered by land-owners in con-

sequence of the public improvements. He served the office

of justice of the peace for many years under the old consti-

tution ;. and after the adoption of the new one, was continued

in office by the suffrages of the people. He held the office

of Major General of the 5th Division of Pennsylvania Militia

for twelve years. He died at his residence in Ephrata, May19th, 1852, aged 80 years, 4 months and 19 days. In public

as well as iu private life, Jacob Hibshman was esteemed for

his integrity, ability and high sense of honor. In him were

united a sound understanding and a kindness of heart which

endeared him to all who knew him. In his entire character

he was well worthy of imitation. He left behind him an

unspotted reputation.

HIESTAND, John A., editor of the Examiner and Her-

ald, was admitted as a member of the Lancaster bar in the

year 1849. He was elected to the Legislature of Pennsylva-

nia in the years 1852, 1853 and 1856. In 1860 he was

elected to the State Senate, and served one term in that body.

He was appointed in 1871, by President Grant, to the posi-

tion of Naval Officer in the city of Philadelphia.

HIESTAND, JoHX M., elected Commissioner in 1852.

HIESTER, Isaac E., son of William Hiester, and grand-

nephew of Governer Joseph Hiester, was born in New Hoi-


land, Lancaster county, in May, 182^. At an early age he

was sent to th^ Moravian school for boys, at Litiz ; after-

wards to the Abbeville Academy, and subsequently to Bol-

mar's Institute, at West Chester, where he was prepared for

college. In 1838 he entered Yale College, and after pursuing

a full course of studies in that institution, graduated with

high honors. He entered and read law in ihe ofiice of

Thomas E. Franklin, esq., and was admitted to the bar in

18i5. Coming to the bar well fitted for the duties of the

profession, and his family ties being amongst the most in-

fluential in Lancaster county, he speedily rose in the legal

ranks. In 1848 he was appointed District Attorney for the

county, by the Attorney General of the State. In 1852 he

was elected to Congress by the Whig party, and though

young, made his mark in that body, delivering a brilliant

speech against the Kansas-Nebraska bill. Upon the organi-

zation of the Know Nothing party, Mr. Hiester chose not to

go with the majority of his party, and with a small wing of

followers, united himself to the Democratic party. He was

again nominated by this party for Congress in 1854, but was

defeated. With the Democratic party he continued to act as

long as he lived, but by no means sympathized fully with it.

In 1856 he was again the candidate of the Democratic party

for Congress, but his popularity was by no means sufficient

to overcome the great opposition majority in Lancaster

county. In 1868 he was elected a delegate to the Demo-cratic National Convention, and was chosen to represent the

State of Pennsylvania in the Democratic National Executive

Committee. He died February 6th, 1S71.

On the question of the prosecution of the war for the sup-

pression of the rebellion, Mr. Hiester seemed not materially

to differ in sentiment with the other recognized leaders of

the Democratic party ; but after the close of the war his

opinions showed a restiveness in Democratic harness. His

views by no means harmonized with those of his party, and

he was zealous and outspeken for a dissolution of the Demo-cratic organization, a change of name and an entire remodel-

ing of principles. By instinct he belonged, as it were, to the

Eepublican party;and although at times he muse and did op-


pose them, yet it is very doubtful if he. did not oft regret his

abandonment of the old party in -which he had been reared,

and to which he was indebted for his most substantial honors.

He believed that the attitude of the Democratic party, as

regards the Southern rebellion, had ruined it, and he regarded,

therefore, a defence of dead principles as useless. In other

words, in his judgment, the Democratic party had been

weighed in the scales of American public opinion and found

wanting.

As a lawyer Mr. Hiester was conceded talents of a high

order. From the analytical character of his mind, he was

able to grasp legal questions and unfold them before the

court and jury in a very happy manner. He always had

his cases well prepared, and in their trial was fully equal to

any member of the Lancaster bar. He enjoyed a large and

profitable practice. In all his relations with the members

of the profession his conduct was exemplary, and his word

when given, equalled his bond. He was purely a business

man. Save political distinction, he had no other ambition

than to shine in the ranks of the profession, and in this latter

aspiration he was worthily gratified. With his immense

wealth, his talents might have secured him eminence in other

careers than business, but his mind never seems to have been

aroused to anything except the career in which he spent his

days. He appears to have had no taste for travel, science,

or literature, any of which might have served to occupy his

time quite as pleasantly as the legal profession. As a citi-

zen he was kind and courteous to all. He possessed, how-

ever, a dignified reserve that gave no room for familiarity,

and even in the midst of his most intimate friends this was

not laid aside.

HIESTEi^, William, was born in Berks county, Penn-

sylvania, October 10th, 1790. He removed to Lancaster

county when a young man, located at New Holland, and

married Lucy E. Ellmaker, a daughter of Isaac Ellmaker of

that place. He early became known as a politician, and

first took a prominent political part in the movements in

Lancaster county that gave shape to the Anti-Masonic party

of the county in 1828. He acted as secretary of the great


Anti-Masonic meeting, held at New Holland in 1828, which

passed resolutions refusing to support any man for office

who was a member of the Masonic order. Mr. Hiester wasnominated in the campaign of 1828 for Congress on the Anti-

Jackson ticket against James Buchanan, but was defeated.

He was again nominated in 1830 for Congress, and elected.

He was twice reelected to Congress, and served as a mem-ber of that body from 1831 till 1837, and rendered general

satisfaction to his constituents. He was, in 1836, elected

a member of the Convention to revise the Constitution of

Pennsylvania. In 1810 he was nominated and elected a

member of the State Senate, and during the session of 1812

was chosen speaker of that body. Whilst a member of

Congress, Mr. Hiester advocated and voted __for a tariff that

should ensure a sound national currency ; as a member of

the Reform Convention he advocated an amendment to the

Constitution, which, if adopted, would have prevented an

excessive increase of the public debt ; and whilst a Senator,

he was ever the rigid advocate of reform, and desired even

to commence with the redaction of his own compensation.

During all his public service, he was remarkable for his

attention to the interests of his constituents, and for his

regular attendance at his place of official duty. His career

of official life secured for him the lasting confidence of his

constituents, and many of them, against his earnest protests,

still desired to. crown him with yet higher honors. He was

president of the great Whig meeting, held at Lancaster, July

29th, 1843, which advocated the claims of Henry Clay for the

Presidency in 1844. He was ths unanimous choice of Lan-

caster county for Governor, in 1844 ; and although the dele-

gates were instructed for him, he declined allowing his nameto come before the convention. Physical infirmity, he felt,

would not permit him to undertake a trust of such import-

ance, especially as he had for some years been in declining

health. He was the Whig Presidential Elector in, 1844.

Mr. Hiester was a German by birth, a farmer by occupa-

tion, and a gentleman well informed upon all the current

topics of the day. He spoke the German as fluently as the

English. In private life he was a man of unblemished


moral character and integrity, of winning manners and easy

address. He was respected and esteemed wherever known.

He died at New Holland, Oct. 13th, 1853, in the 63d year of

his age.

HIPPLB, Frederick, was elected a member of the Legis-

lature in 1833 and 1834. He was also elected Commissioner

in 1842.

HOFF, John, was appointed Clerk of Orphans' Court in

1817.

*HOFFMAN, George, was born in Strasburg, March 9th,

1784. He must have been quite a student in his youth,

and, without doubt, improved all his opportunities to their

utmost extent. He obtained the first rudiments of educa-

tion from an old German schoolmaster, named Buch, of

whom but very little is known, but who, according to Mr,

Hoffman's recollection, must have been a man of considera-

ble knowledge and ability. Of Mr. Hoffman's parents but

little is known. His father died when George was quite young,

and his mother, whose maiden name was Drum, did not live to

be old. Old people, who had any recollection concerning

her, always said she was a woman of good sound sense, a

fact which all who knew her son were free to confess. Such

a man could not have been the son of any other than a

woman of first-rate natural abilities.

When George was about fifteen years old he was placed

in the store of James Whitehill, then the most considerable

of the Strasburg merchants. Here he remained till he was

over twenty-one years old. For the next eight or ten years

he was employed as clerk in other stores, all the while re-

taining his studious habits and love of knowledge. In 1809

he was married to Mrs. Barbara Maynard, of Safe Harbor,

and went into the mercantile business on his own account.

About five years afterwards he removed to Strasburg, where

he continued to reside and keep store till the time of his

death.

In 1816 he was appointed by Governor Snyder a justice

of the peace, an office which he held till the winter of 1827-8,

when he ceased any longer to perform its duties, he having

*Contributed by Alexander Hood, esq.


been, at a special electiou held m December, 1827, elected to

the Legislature over the regular Jackson Democratic nomi-

nee. Being a supporter of Adams, in 1828, he could not be

reelected.

At this time Mr. Hoft'man stood very high in the party

which opposed Jackson in this county. True, it was but a

small party in the State, but it coHtained all the wisdom

and most of the political honesty of the time. The cry of

corruption raised against Clay and Adams, swept everything

before it. In the small vote which the State then polled,

Jackson had more than fifty thousand majority. In Lancas-

ter county, owing to the exertions of Mr. Hoffman and

others, the disproportion was not so overwhelming. Bu-

chanan's majority for Congress,, in 1828, was 1,299, smaller

by about 200 than that which William Hiester, as an Anti-

Mason, received two years afterwards.

As a magistrate Mr. Ho&man was one of the most useful and

upright men who ever filled that office. His aim was never

to make money for himself, but to do good to those ju'ound

him. No civil case that could be amicably adjusted, did he

ever push onward to a suit, for the sake of making costs for

himself or the constables. In all cases of misdemeanor,

where the law permitted an amicable arrangement, he never

failed to exert his good oflices towards that end. He was

emphatically, a peace-maker ; and many had cause to bless

him for his efforts in that direction. Nor did his good ofiices

as an adviser end with his magisterial career; to the end of

his life he was the friend and counsellor of all who applied

for his advice, the great merit of which was, that he was

almost invariably right in his views of what was most proper

to be done in all cases of difficulty. He had, in an eminent

degree, the rare faculty of making persons who were wrongand angry, perceive their error and the folly of their ill

temper ; and this he could do without giving them the least

offence. He seemed to know, by intuition, how to treat

every person with whom he came in contact, and this in all

cases without the least departure from his habitual dignity.

The writer of this knew him pejjfectly well, and now, twenty-

seven years since his death, upon an impartial view of his

23

S14: BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

character, comes to the conclusion that Mr. Hoffman was so

nearly devoid of all prejudice, that his judgment was never in

the least influenced thereby ;that, with the greatest kindness

of heart, he had the clearest perceptive power of any man of

whom he has ever had any personal knowledge.

His friendship for the young was at all times remarkable.

Ko man ever took a stronger interest than he did in young

people who fell in his way. To them he was like a father;

and his advice was always given with so much good feeling

that no one could ever take offence, even when the admoni-

tion took the form of reproof. It was this feeling which

gave rise to the sentence uttered by him, which led to the

first effort to found a system of public schools in Pennsyl-

vania. In January, 1831, in consequence of a sentence

uttered by him, a discussion took place in his store, which

ended in the call of a meeting, of which George Diffenbach

was the chairman, and James McPhail, esq., secretary. This

meeting, which was held in the Jackson street school house,

•and which was attended by about forty persons, sent the

first petition to the Legislature in favor of general educa-

tion, resulting in the passage of the act of 1831, appropri-

ating certain funds towards the estalilishment of public

schools at some future time. From this time till the school

system was firmly established, in 1835, Mr. Hoffman, with

other friends of education, never lost sight of the grand

movement to which in our State they had given the first

impetus. To the day of his death he was always one of its

firmest supporters.

It has already been said that Mr. Hofl'man was strongly

opposed to the election of Andrew Jackson. Being a very

quiet member of the Masonic order, in 1829, when Anti-

Masonry swept over this country like a deluge, he was forced

back into the Democratic party, the ticket of which he voted

till his death, except when Henry Clay was a candidate for

the Presidency, for whom he always cast his vote and influ-

ence. He was at all times a firm believer in the protec-

tion of American industry, and an ardent supporter of the

rights of man, without distinction of color or race. WhenCharles Burleigh delivered the first anti-slavery lecture in


Strasburg, Mr. Hoffman was one of the few who stood by

him at all hazards. He always was a decided abolitionist,

and hated slavery in all its forms. Had he lived till the

great contest between liberty and slavery had developed

itself, only so far as in its form of free soil against slavery

extension, there is no doubt as to where he would have been,

found.

His whole nature revolted against wrong and oppression

in every shape; but he was not permitted to see the political

salvation of a down-trodden race, nor to look upon the red,

white and blue, untarnished by the blackness of slavery.

In 1845 he was attacked by typhoid fever of the most

malignant type. From this he never rallied, and on the 30th

day of June he breathed his last. No man within the circle

of those who knew him, was ever more sincerely regretted.

He left three children, Barbara, the widow of Jacob Erb,

who resides in Conestoga township ; Ann, the wife of B. B.

Gonder, esq.; and Jesse Hoffman, who resides in Strasburg.

HOFFMAN, Valentine, was a superior manufacturer of

edge tools and cutlery in Lancaster at an early day. Hewas a highly respected citizen.

HOFFMEIEK, J. L., was elected Clerk of the Quarter

Sessions in 1839, being the first elected under the new Con-

stitution. After serving this office he was engaged in various

clerkships until 1858, when he was appointed clerk and sales-

man of the Lancaster County Prison, a position he retained

up to April, 1863. He was reelected in March, 1864, and

held the office up to April, 1872, with the exception of a

brief interval.

HOLL, Peter, was a resident of Warwick townshijD, owner

of a mill on Litiz creek, and a man of influence in the com-

munity. He was elected Commissioner of Lancaster county

on the Federal ticket in 1819. Shortly after the expiration

of his term of office, he left Lancaster county and settled in

Cumberland county. Pa.

HOOD, Alexander. In 1696 an Englishman, namedJohn Hood, with his wife, settled within a few miles of where

Norristown now stands. This man, it seems, when quite


young, had been concerned in some plot against the govern-

ment and fled to Holland, afterwards going back to England

as a soldier in the army of William III. A grandson of

this man, Eev. Philip Hood, had a numerous family, amongwhom was a son named Gerhart, born in 1756, who married

Mary, the daughter of Philip Wentz, of Skippach, at whose

house General Washington had his headquarters before and

after the battle of Germantown. About 1792 Gerhart and

his brother John removed to Chester county, not far from

Andrew's Bridge, the place being now known as Homeville.

John remained there till his death, in 1832, but Gerhart

removed to Lancaster in 1795, remaining there till 1802,

when he removed to Philadelphia, and died there in 1814.

Gerhart Hood had three sons : Frederick, born near Nor-

ristown, June 14th, 1779 ; George, born at the same jjlace,

about 1783; and Samuel, born at Lancaster in 1796. George

moved from Philadelphia to Lancaster, Ohio, in 1816, and

died there a few years afterwards. Samuel died in Philadel-

phia, unmarried, in 1822.

Frederic Hood learned the trade of a hatter at Lancaster,

and afterwards worked in various places, till he married

Margaret, the daughter of John Higgins, of Chambersburg,

Pa. After the war of 1812, in which he participated in.

several battles and was taken prisoner, he removed to Phila-

delphia, and in 1819 removed to Strasburg, where he fol-

lowed his trade for several years. He died at Soudersburg,^

October 14th, 1865, in his 87th year. His two sons, Alex-

ander H. and John Gerhart Hood, reside in Lancaster.

Alexander H. Hood was born at Chambersburg, Pa., and

when a small boy came to Strasburg with his parents, as

above stated. When about sixteen years old he was appren-

ticed to a shoemaker, and worked at that business till he

was over twenty years old. He then became a teacher of a

public school, and in 1837 was appointed a clerk in the

office of the Secretary of State, at Harrisburg, where he re-

mained till the close of Eitner's administration. In April,

1839, he became the editor and proprietor of the Lancaster

Union, which he conducted with marked ability till October,

1842, when he sold out to E. W. Middleton. In 1839 he


was elected Clerk of the Orphans' Court of Lancaster county,

and before his term expired he was elected to the Legisla-

ture, in which, owing to a split in the party, he remained but

one session. While serving in this capacit}'', John Mathiot,

who for several years had been Mayor of Lancaster, died.

Mr. Hood, on the petition of many Whigs and a few Demo-crats, introduced and had passed into a law, a bill making

the Mayor elective, though it was covertly opposed by all

the leading Democrats. After the defeat of Clay, in 1844,

he took but little part in politics for some years. In 1844,

having read law under the direction of the late Hon. Thad-

deus Stevens, he was admitted to the bar, and soon became

one of its most prominent members. In 1847 he identified

himself with the free-soil movement, voting for Van Buren

in opposition to Taylor. When the Eepublican party was

formed, he was one of the very few who held the first meet-

ing in Lancaster county. From that day to the present time

he has always been prominent in the Republican ranks. Atthe outbreak of the war, all his energies were exerted in

behalf of the Union cause. In 1861 he received the regular

Eepublican nomination for President Judge of this district,

but was defeated by a coalition of dissatisfied Republicans

with the Democrats, who put the old incumbent, then re-

garded as a Republican, in the field against him. The ma-

jority of the successful candidate was very small, and Mr.

Hood could have been easily elected had he not refused to

take any part in his own behalf.

In August, 1862, he was appointed Collector of Internal

Revenue of this district, by President Lincoln, a position

which he held till September, 1866, when he was removed

by Andrew Johnson for refusing to contribute funds towards

the formation of Johnson's new party. Since that time Mr.

Hood has been steadily engaged in the practice of his pro-

fession.

As to social science, Mr. Hood can scarcely be said to be

either conservative or progressive, though his mind tends

most strongly in the latter direction. He is the furthest

possible remove from an old fogy, but he does not like to

go ahead without being sure he is right. His opinions are


all formed after patient investigation, and when his mind is

once made up on any question, he has full confidence in the

result at which he has arrived. From his boyhood he was

a decided abolitionist, and was never afraid to express his

views, even when such expression was attended with con-

siderable danger. He has at all times been the friend of the

oppressed, without regard to race, color, or condition.

As one of the few who at Strasburg put the ball in

motion, which resulted in the school system of Pennsylvania,

it was natural that when an attempt to destroy that system

was made, he should oppose it with all his force, though the

attempt was sanctioned by the most of the party to which

he belonged. In truth, it may be said, that in all cases

where the contest has been between the strong and the weak,

the powerful and the oppressed, he has always been found

on the side of justice and right.

Mr. Hood's mind is eminently mathematical, and in this

department of science he is said to be proficient. His argu-

ments all indicate study in this direction, and it is this

faculty of mind which prevents his impulses from getting

control of his judgment ; and it is this which imparts to himthat full confidence he has in all his conclusions. As a

speaker, he is logical and argumentative rather than flowery

or fluent;yet in many of his speeches there are touches of

pathos which go directly to the hearts of his hearers. His

illustrations are always apt and forcible, but, like the draw-

ings of Michael Angelo, a few touches tell the whole story.

On the stump he always takes the crowd along with him,

and the effect of his speeches all tell upon the majorities

where he speaks.

HOOD, Joseph, was a member of the Legislature in 1860-

HOLLINGER, Isaac, was elected Recorder in 1866.

HOPKINS, George Washington, son of James Hop-

kins, was one of the brilliant lights of the old Lancaster

bar, whose great oratorical powers and splendid declamation

have associated his name with John R. Montgomery and

George W. Barton. These three names are ever associated

together as the bright trio of intellectual stars of the first

magnitude, that shone with such dazzling splendor on old


Lancaster, the remembrance of wMcli will never perish

whilst memory endures.

HOPKINS, James, for many years was the most eminent

lawyer of the Lancaster bar, and ranked amongst the most

noted in the whole State. His business in the profession

was immense, and he accumulated a vast fortune in the

practice. With him studied many of the old able attornies

of the country, and amongst these James Buchanan. He was

employed in the trial of important causes in different counties

of the State. On one occasion he was selected by the Legis-

lature, with Eoss, of Pittsburg, to try a case calling for great

legal ability. He was purely a lawyer, mingling little in

politics, but was elected a member of the Legislature in

1821. He died whilst engaged in the trial of a case in

Lancaster.

HOPKINS, John, brother of James Hopkins, was a

member of the Legislature in the years 1787, 1788, 1789,

1796, 1797, 1798, 1799 and 1800. He was also elected to the

State Senate in 1814.

HOPKINS, W. W., grandson of James Hopkins, and a

member of the Lancaster bar, was elected to the Legislature

in the year 1868.

^ HOSTETTEK, Henry, a citizen of Ephrata township,

was elected to the Legislature, on the Democratic ticket,' in

1828. He was a farmer, and a minister in the denomination

of the Seventh-day Baptists.

HOUSEKEEPER, W.. was a member of the -Legislature

in the years 1855 and 1856.

HOUSTON, Samjjel, one of the early settlers in Lancas-

^ ter county, emigrated from Scotland to America with five

sons, prior to the Eevolution. He purchased a large body of

land in Pequea valley, a few miles northwest of the Gap.

He at once espoused the American cause and rendered impor-

' The Democratic success in Lancaster covvnty in 1828, was its last

victory in the county. Prior to that time it had been somewliat alter-

nately successful in the elections, but with the coming into jiower ofthe Auti-JIasonic party, tlie Democratic party sunk. Many Democratsbecame Anit-Masons, and the Democratic party has been in a misera-

ble minority in the county ever since.


tant service. Four of Lis sons joined the army and served

during the war. He was a valuable and influential memberof the Associate Presbyterian church.

HOUSTON, Samuel, son of the above, was born in

Scotland, and removed with his father to this country about

the year 1769. He married Sarah, daughter of John and

Mary Hopkins, in the year 1787. He was for many years

engaged in mercantile pursuits at the Gap, in Salisbury

township, and was appointed a justice of the peace by Gov-

ernor Mifflin, which office he held with satisfaction to the

public for more than forty years. He was, in 1829, elected

a member of the State Senate of Pennsylvania, which posi-

tion he held for three years. He was honored by the people

with many other important trusts. Mr. Houston was a manof great usefulness in the community, and by his persever-

ing industry and business activity, he acquired a handsome

independence, among which were included several fine farms,

Houston's mill, the hotel at the Gap, besides several store

houses. He was a worthy and esteemed member of the

Presbyterian church. He died in the year 1842, aged

seventy-five years. His youngest son, Benjamin F. Houston,

is among his surviving descendants; and the late John Hous-

ton, of Washington city, who held a situation in the Treas-

ury department uninterruptedly for more than fifty years,

was the eldest son of Samuel Houston, esq.

HOWELL, Charles M., was born in Philadelphia, April

24th, 1814. He received his education in the schools of that

city, and was a student of the Plainfield Academy, in Con-

necticut, for some time. At the early age of fourteen he

was apprenticed to Gen. Peter Fritz, to learn the marble

mason business, and served with him till he was twenty-,,

one years of age. Upon the close of his apprenticeship he

continued to work as a journeyman for several years. In

the spring of 1838 he set up for himself in his business in

Philadelphia, and carried on till September, 1841. Having

manied into a Lancaster family, he, in 1841, removed to and

began business in Lancaster, in East King street, on property

of John N. Lane, where he carried on with excellent suc-

cess. A few years afterwards he purchased the old Gompf


property, oa the west side of North Queen street, where he

has since carried on his business. In 1863-4 he erected a

handsome new building on the site of the old property

'purchased by him. Mr. Howell was elected County Treas-

urer, on the Democratic ticket, in the fall of 1856, which

office he filled with entire satisfaction to the public. He was

also elected City Treasurer by the City Councils, in 1865.

He has frequently been a member of both branches of City

Councils, and also for some time a member of the City

School Board. Mr. Howell is emphatically a self-made man,

and has from an humble grade in society arisen until he is

a man of considerable wealth and influence. He became a

member of the Masonic fraternity in Philadelphia, in 1835,

and since 1853 has been District Deputy Grand Master of

District No. 1 of Pennsylvania; and he was also Grand

Generalissimo of the Grand Commandery of the Order of

Knights Templar of Pennsylvania. A new Masonic Lodge,

founded in 1871, was named Howell Lodge, in honor of the

subject of this notice.

HOWEE, J. W., elected a member of the Legislature in

1848.

HUBER, John, one of the early settlers in Warwicktownship, and the principal contestant in the dispute with

Kichard Carter in reference to naming the township. Hewas a leading man and an iron-master. The following lines

were upon his furnace :

" Johau Huber, der erste Deutsche mauDer das Eisemverk vollfiiren kaiin."

HUBLEY, Adam, a brother of John Hubley, was, in

December, 1776, appointed Major of the 10th Pennsylvania

regiment in the Continental service. He was a member of

the Legislature for the years 1783, 1785, 1786 and 1787.

He was also chosen a.member of the State Senate in 1790.

HUBLEY, Bernard, was born in Germany, October

18th, 1719. He emigrated to America when a boy of about

sixteen years of age, and settled in Lancaster. He learned

the tanning business with Valentine Krug, and afterwards

carried on this business for many years. He purchased and

owned what was years ago known as the Brady farm. He


ranked in his day as one of the most influential and respected

citizens of the community. lie was a member of the Board

of Assistant Burgesses of the borough of Lancaster for the

years 1750, 1757, 1766 and 1767. He was for some years a

commissioner of the county of Lancaster. He was a manwho exerted considerable influence in political circles, and

was a member of the Federal party. He was an active

Whig in the Revolution, and was appointed barrack-master

of Lancaster county in 1778. By his energy and persever-

ance he accumulated a considerable fortune, and left his

children in easy circumstances. He was twice married, and

had twenty-one children, the youngest of whom was Anna,

the wife of the late Joseph Ehrenfried. He sustained heavy

losses in the depreciation of the Continental currency. Hedied January 29th, 1803. He. was for many years an elder

of Trinity Lutheran church.

HUBLEY, John, son of Michael Hubley, was born at

Lancaster, December 25th, 17-17. He was married to Maria

Magdalena, the daughter of Ludwig Lauman. He read law

under the instruction of Edward Shippen, and was admitted

to the bar in 1769. He was one of the delegates from Lan-

caster county to the convention which met in Philadelphia,

July 15th, 1776, to adopt a State Constitution. August 5th,

1776, he took his seat as a member of the General Pennsyl-

vania Council of Safety which had been established by the

first Constitution. On January 11th, 1777, he was appointed

commissary of Continental stores, and the stores of Pennsyl-

vania at Lancaster, with the rank of Major, and with author-

ity to appoint such deputies as he might judge necessary.

A few days afterwards he was authorized to employ all the

shoemakers among the Hessian prisoners at Lancaster, in

making shoes for the State. He was for some time a Coun-

cillor of the Supreme Executive Councrl. He was appointed

April 5th, 1777, by the Supreme Executive Council, Pro-

thonotary of the Court of Common Pleas, Clerk of the

Orphans' Court, Clerk of Quarter Sessions, and also Recorder

of Deeds, part of which of&ces he held for -upwards of twenty

years. In January, 1777, he was commissioned also a justice

of the peace. In 1787 he was a member of the State Con-

OF LANCASTER COUXTY. 32S

vention that ratified the Federal Constitiition. He died

January 21st, 1821.

HUBLEY, Michael, brother of Bernard Hubley, was

born in Germany, February 28th, 1722. On the 2d of

October, 1832, he came with his father to America, and

landed at Philadelphia. In the spring of 1840 he came to

Lancaster, where he continued to reside until his death. Onthe 6th of August, 1745, he married Eosina, a daughter of

Dietrich Strumpf, who was also born in Germany, and wholived with him until her death, June 28th, 1803, at the age

of 84 years. He was, in 1777, appointed by the supreme

executive council a justice of the peace of Lancaster county,

and for some time was the presiding justice of the several

courts of the county. He was re-commissioned a justice of

the peace in 1784. For some time during the Revolution he

held the position of barrack-master of Lancaster county.

He was an acting magistrate of the county for the period of

twenty- seven years. During the last 43 years of his life he

served the Trinity Lutheran congregation as warden, elder

and trustee. He died May 17th, 1804.

HUMES, De. Samuel, an eminent physician of Lancas-

ter. He was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

He began the practice of his profession about 1812, and was

busily engaged therein until his death in September, 1852.

Dr. Henry Carpenter being a student of Dr. Humes, and his

executor, succeeded him in his practice. Dr. Humes was

Treasurer of Lancaster in 1806.

HUNSECKEE, C. L., was born in Manheim township,

November 1st, 1814. He is a miller by occupation, and a

leading, influential and intelligent citizen of the community.

He was first elected to the Legislature from Lancaster county

in 1850, then quite a young man, and served in ihe sessions

of the Pennsylvania Legislature in the years 1851, 1852^

1854 and 1856. He was reelected to the Legislature in the

year 1871.'

'By the late apportionment made in ISTl, Lancaster county is entitled

to but one Senator aad tliree members of the House of Representatives.

The first members under the new apportionment for the session of

1872, were David K. Burlsholder, Dr. J. C. Gatchell and C. L. Hun-secker.


HUEFORD, Lewis, a member of tlie Legislature iu 1849.

nUSS, John, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania,

November 6th, 1790. He learned the printing business in

Lancaster, in the of6.ce of William Hamilton, and afterwards

worked as a journeyman printer with Hugh Maxwell. It

was he who began the publication of the first newspaper in

Marietta, and which he called the Pilot, but afterwards

changed its name to the Pioneer. He started this paper

about the close of the war of 1812-1-i, and in 1827 sold out

his interest therein to Charles Nagle. The vignette of his

paper was a steamboat, engraved by J. J. Libhart. The

motto of his paper was the following

:

" This world is a bubble, aU things show it

;

Ouce I thought so, now I know it."

He was elected a member of the Legislature for the year

1822 and reelected for 1823. He died July 19th, 1841.

HIGH, George J., was elected Recorder of Deeds in 1870.

J.

JACKS, James, a member of the Legislature in the years

1780, 1781 and 1782. He was appointed Recorder of

Deeds in 1783.

*JACKSON, Joel, was born at West Grove, Chester

county, in the year 1776, being a descendant of one of the

oldest families in that region. At an early age he went to

Wilmington, Delaware, and entered into the mercantile busi-

ness, for which it would seem he was singularly unfitted.

Remaining in Wilmington but a short time, he returned to

Chester county, purchased, improved, and disposed of a farm

situated in London, Britain township. In his 37th year he

determined to leave his native county, and with this end in

view came to Lancaster and purchased from a family by the

name of Coppock's, a large farm, located in the southern

part -of Little Britain. This land being very poor, Joel

Jackson, with untiring industry set to woYk to improve it,

by burning lime and feeding cattle. The place was soon

*Contributed bv Charles H. Stubbs, M. D.


rendered quite productive, and the new proprietor well

known as a successful and intelligent farmer. As an in-

stance of the general poverty of the soil of the southern part

of the township at this period, 1813-14, it might be men-

tioned that on several occasions, in the first year of his

occupancy, he had to haul corn for his stock from the richer

central parts of the county.

It is not of him as a successful farmer we would speak,

but rather of those marked traits of character before

alluded to, and as possessing abilities of the very highest

order for the acquisition of science, which, if cultivated,

would have placed him in rank with the Cuviers, Farradaya

or Davys of Europe. Though, doubtless, he was conscious

that by nature he was fitted for something higher than the life

of toil that laid before him, and as necessary for the welfare

of his family. Perhaps no more hard-working, industrious

man, one more self-reliant, and one who would permit no

person to do for him anything that he thought could possi-

bly be done by himself, and one more strictly honest in hia

dealings, never lived. His strict integrity and keen sense of

the j.ustice due all men, was manifested all his life in the care

he would take not to ask too much for anything he had to

sell, or above the market price of the article. Thoughsomewhat hasty in temper, he was very kind and courteous

in manner. But if he should detect a man in any duplicity

or dishonesty, he took no pains to conceal his dislike. This

same strict sense of justice led him to forbid his day-laborers

to work after sundown ; always having their meals ready for

them that they could return home ; himself, even when a

very old man, doing up the usual chores before coming to

the house. If the poet was right, that " an honest man is

the noblest work of God," Joel Jackson was emphatically

one of Nature's noblemen. In his habits he was very domes-

tic, rarely leaving home unless absolutely necessary ; never

going to public meetings of any kind, and only to elections

when he thought some question of interest was at stake.

His love of science-and of nature always remained with him;

and the reading of all works accessible on these subjects, in

hours snatched occasionally from labor, and from the time


Others devoted to slumber, was his greatest delight. This

seemed to have rendered his life more endurable, and towards

the close cheered its decline. His greatest recreation, in his

more advanced years, was the study of botany, the general

principles and the more minute details of which it was no

trouble for him to master. This was also true of geology,

his greatest delight being to receive all the new publications

on the subject.

When he found himself unable to conduct his business on

the upper farm where he then resided, being about seventy-

four years of age, he made such distribution of his property

as he thought just, and then retired to a small house near the

Eock Springs, in a remote corner of the place, to wait for

death as a friend to lead him to rest. Here, in the silence of

the solitary hours, cheered, however, by frequent visits from

his children and his grandchildren, who kept him well sup-

plied with books and papers, and finding employment in the

cultivation of about an acre of land, he awaited with com-

posure the last great change, knowing that death is not only

inevitable, but in the great scheme of creation, that it is just

as necessary as life. As he felt its near approach by his

increasing infirmities, he gave directions that he should be

buried in a plain manner, and no notice given, except to

some of the nearest of his friends, as he had always disap-

proved of great expense and large collections of people on

such occasions. He desired that no stone be placed over

him, but that one should be placed over his wife, who had

preceded him to the better land. After a short illness he

passed awaT peaceably; from earth, in September, 1857, aged

nearly eighty-one years. And there, in a family graveyard,

containing some of his children and grandchildren, rests the

remains of Joel Jackson. The ground is surrounded on.

three sides by old forest trees, and there, in the quiet of that

nature he loved so well, a quiet unbroken, save by the song

of the wood-bird, and with a few wild flowers planted over

him by loving hands, life's fitful fever over, he sleeps the

sleep of death.

JACKSON, Leavin H., was elected a member of the

Legislature in the years 1832, 1833 and 1834.'


JACOBS, Thojias B., was a member of the Legislature


JENKINS, Catharine M.,_ a daughter of the celebrated

divine, Eev. John Carmichael, was born in Chester county,

Pennsylvania, July 23d, 1774. Her mother died when she

was but thirteen days old, and her father before she had

reached the age of twelve. Not long after her father's death

she became the inmate of the family of the Eev. Eobert

Smith, a relative by marriage. In his house she found a

congenial and happy home, and in the learned and devoted

pastor of Pequea a friend and father. In the fall of 1792

she became a member of the Presbyterian church of Pequea.

Shortly before the death of Eev. Eobert Smith, which

occurred on the 15th of April, 1793, she accepted an invi-

tation to make her home in the house of Eev. Nathaniel W.Sample, of Strasburg, and after some time accepted an invi-

tation to the like effect from Daniel Buckley, an iron-master

of courteous and hospitable manners. In a letter to her

half-sister, Phoebe, dated Pequea, June 7th, 1799, she says

:

" I am no longer an inhabitant of Strasburg. I bade adieu

to that place the last week of March, and am now a memberof Mr. Daniel Buckley's family, whose forge and farm, you

may recollect, we passed in going from Strasburg to Brandy-

wine. It is a charming situation in the summer ; and if I

am to judge of the time to come by what is past, I have

every reason to expect much happiness. Mr. and Mrs.

Buckley treat me with all the attention and kindness I could

expect from relations, and express the greatest jjleasure in

seeing and entertaining my friends and acquaintances."

In September, 1799, the subject of this notice was married

to Eobert Jenkins, and became the mistress of Windsor

Place. The first iui.pulse that inspired her after her marriage

with Mr. Jenkins, was to render her home the hospitable

mansion and favorite retreat for the pious and learned. Assoon as she would contract an acquaintance with a clergy-

man, she never failed to extend to him a cordial invitation

to visit the " Preachers' Hotel." In consequence of her great

amiability and kindness thus manifested, her house was the

constant resort of ministers of every denomination who


passed that way. Catharine Jenkins was very fond of read-

ing, and her centre table presented always a collection of

the best religious and periodical literature of the day.

Scholars and literary men were her especial favorites, and

she ever aimed to render them easy in her presence and feel

at home in her hospitable mansion. She loved to entertain

them in a style becoming their education and attainments.

Mrs. Jenkins was a lady of great spirit and resolution, and

exerted these qualities of her character for the promotieu of

truth and the elevation of mankind. She was an implacable

foe to the wine cup and the gaming-table, and the following

may be cited as illustrative of her resolution and stern pur-

pose. In her husband's employ were a large number of

workmen who were greatly addicted to the rum bottle, and as

a consequence entailed misery upon themselves and their fami-

lies. The hands would frequently come to the table at their

boarding house in a state of intoxication, and this condition

of aifairs Mrs. Jenkins endeavored to reform by moral

suasion, and by endeavoring to depict the great sin they

were committing. She now determined to employ more

decisive means. By the aid of one of her servants, she

obtained the bottles in which the men kept their rum. Atdinner time the hands were surprised and mortified to see

their bottles in a row standing upon the table, and their con-

tents visible through the glass. Mrs. Jenkins soon after

entered the room, and in her amiable manner remarked, that

she had in her possession a number of bottles belonging to

them which she desired to return to their respective owners,

and asked of them each to come forward and claim his

property. As none had the hardihood to do this under the

circumstances, she next remarked: "They are now in mypossession, and as you will not take them, of course they are

at my disposal." After that she took them to an open

window, and striking them one by one against the wall, they

fell in shivers to the ground. • The bottles and their contents

being destroyed, she addressed the men and said, in a mild

but decisive manner, " if they be replaced by others, they

shall share the same fate." She used all her influence ta

oppose vice and immorality, not only among her dependents,


but also amongst those who moved in the higher walks of

life. Every sphere in which this pious lady moved, felt her

influence. Immorality never escaped her disapprobation,

no difference what were the circumstances under which it

presented itself. More than once were the cards and wine-

cup, with great reluctance, removed from the social circle

when the apj^roach of Mrs. Jenkins was announced.

As one whose life had been devoted to the service of Christ,

her life was truly an esemplary one. She, on all occasions,

labored for the cause of her Eedeemer, and liberally gave

of her means for the promotion and building up of His

church. Upon an occasion when attending a Presidential

levee, and the Scripture was sneered at in such a manner as to

indicate that the party were largely tainted with skeptical

views, she firmly defended and challenged respect for the

sacred book, which was not further gainsaid by any present.

She died September 23d, 1856.

JENKINS, David, the original ancestor of the numerous

descendants of this name, was a native of Wales, who emi-

grated to America and landed at Philadelphia in the year

1700. His son, John Jenkins, penetrated into the forests,

and selected a site on which the Windsor forges ' were

afterwards erected. He erected a temporary residence near

where now stands the Windsor Mansion, and entered into a

contract with John, Thomas, and Richard Peun for the pur-

chase of 400 acres of land, January 10th, 1783. The land

was surveyed, but a patent therefore was not taken uut by

Mr. Jenkins, and he sold it after some years to William

Branson & Co., of Philadelphia, who took out a patent for

the tract December 28th, 17-12, and erected the Windsor

forges and Mansion House.

JENKINS, David, son of John, the first settler at Wind-

sor, was born July 2d, 1731. He purchased from William

Branson k Co., the whole of the Windsor property. He' The Windsor Iron Works were amongst the first established in the

United States, if not the first in Pennsylvania. They were put in opera-

tion by a company upon the lands originally purchased by John Jenkins

in 1731. The company sold out their interest about the time of the

Revolution, to David Jenkins, who managed the works with skill and

economy.

24

S30 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

was a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature in 178-4. He-died in 1797.

JENKINS, Egbert, son of David Jenkins last named,

was born July 10th, 1767, at Windsor Place. He inherited

from his father the "Windsor estate upon the death of his

parent, and managed the same with success until the spring

of 1848, a period of about iifty years. When a young man,

he was a member of a troop of horse that was sent by

tke government to the northern part of the State to repress

Fries' insurrection. He was married in 1799 to Catha-

rine, daughter of the eminent divine, John Carmichael, of

Brandvwine Forks, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He was

a member of the Legislature in the years 1804 and 1805.

He represented Lancaster county in Congress from 1807

until 1811, during the stormy period that preceded the war

of 1812 with Great Britain. He died April 18th, 1848, and

lies buried in the Carnarvon Presbyterian churchyard.

JENKINS, William, brother of Eobert Jenkins, was

torn at Windsor Place, on the 7th of July, 1779. He grad-

uated at Princeton College, New Jersey, in 1797. He read

law in the of&ce of James Hopkins, esq., and was admitted

to the bar on the 10th of August, 1801. In the winter of

1817-18, he was appointed by Governor Findley Prosecu-

ting Attorney for the county of Lancaster, an office he filled

with marked ability and fidelity for the period of twenty-

three years. In 1845 he was appointed by Governor ShunkRecorder of the Mayor's Court, the duties of which office he

discharged until the abolition of the said court in 1849.

From that period he appeared but little in public ; declining

years and infirmity forbidding it. He died at his residence

on Duke street. May 24th, 1853. As a lawyer, Mr. Jenkins

stood in the first rank of that list of eminent men who, in

the old history of the Lancaster bar, rendered it so celebra-

ted throughout the commonwealth. He was an able jurist,

and. a well-read lawyer ; a safe counsellor and an eloquent

advocate, winning his way to the hearts of the jury with a

resistless power, and presenting to the court the strong legal

points of his case with a tact and energy that seldom failed

of its effect. Always courteous to his opponents, he never


for a moment, however, forgot the interests of his client, but

seemed to become, as it were, identified with his cause. Toyoung men entering upon the profession, his kindness was

great, and he was ever ready to instruct or assist them. His

mind was eminently a legal one, and a superior knowledge

of law may be said to have been his distinguishing charac-

teristic. Never an active politician, he was nevertheless

firm and decided in his opinions, yielding to all the privilege

of entertaining and expressing their convictions, and never

permitting political to interfere with his personal feelings.

In the domestic circle Mr. Jenkins was an ornament. As a

husband and father he had no superior; and as a hospitable

gentleman, his home was proverbial. His hand and heart

were open to his friends, as was his purse to the afflicted

and needy.

JOHNS, John, elected Eegister in 1857.

*JONES, John, was born in Chester county, Pennsylva-

nia, in 1756, and died in Little Britain township, February

2d, 1800. In early manhood he removed to the vicinity of

Peach Bottom, Lancaster county, where he purchased land

and erected thereon a mill and fine mansion—the latter in

the old English style of architecture. This building was

nicknamed "Jones's Folly," now known as the " Red House."

He was the first to have slate taken from the hills on the

eastern shore of the Susquehanna. Entering into the manu-

facture of iron, he built a forge on the Octoraro, called

" Octoraro Forge." These buildings, as well as his mansion

near Peach Bottom, were covered with roofing slate. John

Jones, in addition to being a man of business, possessed a

fine literary taste. In early life he was subjected to muchbodily aiSiction as well as severe trials, partly arising from

the course of military operations, at that time progressing.

These, however, operating on a remarkably susceptible and

intelligent mind, were embraced as profitable incitements to

seek for a more intimate internal acquaintance with God,

the great source of true consolation. Hereby his views of

the divine sufficiency became enlarged to the production of

an operative faith—his tribulations, agreeably with the apos-

*Contributed by Charles H. Stubbs, M. D.


tolio testimony, working " patience, and patience experience,

and experience hope." Continuing his religious progress, he

in time became an approved Minister of the Gospel in the

Society of Friends ; and as his experience in the spirituality

of the Christian dispensation advanced, he was sometimes

drawn in the power of divine love to unfold to large congre-

gations to whom he ministered in a very remarkable and

impressive manner the deep and solemn mysteries of the

Gospel of Christ. His natural disposition was remarkably

cheerful, his manners engaging, and his social conversation

pleasingly instructive ;his rational faculties were strong and

lively, and his judgment in natural things prompt and dis-

criminative.

John Jones, towards the latter part of his life, wrote a

religious work entitled. Analysis of Eevelation. This vol-

ume was published after his death by his friend and ad-

mirer, Joseph Churchman.

K.KAUFFMAN, Abraham, son of David Kauffman, was

born in Eapho township, Lancaster county, March

30th, 1799. His father moved to a farm in what was then

the southwestern part of Warwick (now Penn) township,

where Abraham has lived up to this time. His father died

January 15th, 1816, aged 75 years, 1 month and 8 days. His

mother died March 11th, 1867, aged 87 years, 2 months and

26 days. He was brought up to agricultural pursuits. Helived chiefly in private life, save his being entrusted with

several minor positions, until 1835, when he was elected to

the House of Representatives. It was during this session

that the first appropriation was made toward commencing

the Gettysburg railroad, and here he differed from all his

colleagues from the county in taking a stand against it, while

they supported it, and continued to do so during the second

session he was in the House. After giving his last vote

against it in 1838, he put his reasons for so doing on the

journal, April 16th, 1838. Page 1156, House Journal.


It may be stated that after the State had expended nearly

$1,000,000 on the doubtful project, it was abandoned. Hewas again elected to the House of Representatives in 1836.

It was during this session that the surplus revenue of the

United States, by resolution of Congress, (session of 1885-6,)

distributing said surplus among the several States, fell into

the hands of the Legislature, Pennsylvania's share being

nearly S4,000,000, and wishing to secure a portion of it to the

people direct, offered a joint resolution, February 20th, 1837,

(House Journal, Vol. I, p. 568,) authorizing the State Treasurer

to redeem $2,000,000 of the State indebtedness. February

23d, (page 593,) on motion, the said resolution was considered

in committee of the whole, when, after considerable discus-

sion, the opposition succeeded in having it postponed to

March 13th, when it could not be reached again. At this

time there was a strong improvement feeling, and log-rolling

the order of the day. The said surplus was all scattered to

various projects, excepting $500,000, which was distributed

amongst the several school districts of the State. He was

again elected to the House of Eepresentatives in 1887, and

again under the new constitution, in 1848, and served during

the session of 1844. In 1850 he was elected a director of

the poor for Lancaster county. He was reislected in 1853,

of which board he was president during the last five years.

February 11th, 1865, he assisted in organizing the Man-

heim National Bank, of which institution he has been presi-

dent up to this time. In the year 1869 he made a donation

to the borough of Manheim, of three acres of woodland,

containing a spring of water, near said town, to be used as a

public grove. This the town council properly named after

the donor.

KAUFFMAN, Andrew L, a member of the Legislature

in 1836.

KAUFFMAN, Benjamin, a member of the Legislature

in 1801.

KAL^FFMAN, Benjamin, a member of the Legislature in

1839. He was also elected Clerk of Orphans' Court in 1845.

KAUFFMAN, C. L., elected a member of the Legislature

in 1856.


KAUFFMAN, Dr. Michael, one of the five brothers,

named Christian, John, Michael, David, and Isaac, sons of

John Kauflman, was born March 5th, 1767, near what is

now Landisville, in East Hempfield township, Lancaster

county, Pennsylvania. His younger years were spent on the

farm, when he learned the millwright trade. About 1790

he bought a mill in Eapho township, which business he fol-

lowed for some years, when he moved to Manheim, where,

with his brother John, he went into the hardware business

for a few years, when he commenced studying medicine with

Dr. Bard, and commenced practicing about 1803 and followed

it up to the time of his death. In 1831 he was elected to

the House of Eepresentatives and reelected in 1832; during

these several sessions he attended industriously to his duties

as a representative. This long usefulness in the vicinity in

which he lived, can perhaps not be better described than

they are given in the following obituary notice :

" Dr. Michael Kauli'man died at his residence in the borough of Man-heim, on Sunday morning, July 7th, 1839 aged 72 years, 4 months and

6 days. His earthly remains were interred on the following day at two

o'clock, p. m., attended by an unusually large concoui'se of relatives

and friends. Impressive addresses were delivered on the occasion byRevs. Messrs. Jacob Hochstetter and Daniel Fritz, on verse 22d, 16th

chapter. Book of Job :' When a few years are come then I shall go the

way whence I shall not return.' It is seldom that one is called from

amongst us whose loss will be more extensively felt and more deeply de-

plored than that of the individual whose name heads this obituary

notice. He has been a resident and an extensive practitioner of medi-

cine upwards of forty years ; he was liberal and ever ready to render

assistance to the distressed. Of him it may be truly said, the poor have

lost a friend. After his death many, very many, called to get a last

sight of him for whom they had at one time or another, during life, sent

in the hour of suffering.'

'

EAUFFMAJSl, Michael, and family, emigrated from the

vicinity of Greenstad, Hesse, on the upper Rhine, and came

to this county between the years 1710 and 1719, and settled

somewhere not now known. Michael died a few years after

their arrival. The widow next died, leaving a son John and

a daughter Elizabeth. The guardian of these children

bought of William Penn's commissioner a considerable tract

of land, in the vicinity now known as Landisville, Lancaster

county, Pa., where the said John Kauffman settled. All that


is known of Elizabetli is, that she was married to Christian

Stoneman, December 12th, 1734. The said John Kauffman

had three sons, Christian, Michael and John. John Kauff-

man lived on the farm now owned by Samuel Nissley, about

one mile from Landisville, where he died March 2-±th, 1776,

aged 48 years, 6 mouths and 12 days. His widow died

December 22d, 1806. They had nine children grown up and

married, viz : Maria, Anna, Christian, Barbara, John,

Michael, Elizabeth, David and Isaac, besides two, Anna and

Susanna, who died minors. This family has now all passed

away.

KEENAN, Rev. Bernard, was born in the county of

Tyrone, Ireland, and was early designed by his parents for

the clerical profession. He began the study of the classics

in the seminaries of his neighborhood, and as soon as he was

qualified, entered the college of Dungannon, where he re-

mained as a student for four years. He was then engaged

as a teacher in that institution, and thus occupied for the

next seven years, having been the first Catholic who had

been known to be employed as a teacher in the Protestant

college of Dungannon. Having made up his mind to leave

his native home, he proposed going to France; but as the

Right Reverend Bishop Conwell was then on his way to

London to be consecrated Bishop of Philadelphia, he accom-

panied him to Liverpool, where he remained until the Bishop

returned, and thence sailed with him to the United States.

They landed at Baltimore on the 21st of November, 1820,

and from thence they proceeded to Philadelphia, where the

subject of this notice was ordained priest, having been the

first priest ever ordained in the Philadelphia conference.

Shortly after his ordination he weut to Mount St. Mary's

College, near Emmettsburg, Maryland, where he remained

until the death of the Rev. J. J. Holland, of St. Mary's

church, Lancaster, in the fall of 1823. During the period

he spent at Emmettsburg he assisted in giving instruction to

young men pursuing their studies, for which his superior

linguistic attainments amply fitted him. Before having

Ireland he had taught for a time in a gentleman's family.

He was appointed by the Bishop of the diocese to fill the


vacancy existing in St. Mary's Churcli, a position lie has

held uij interruptedly up to the-present time. While in Phil-

adelphia, and prior to his appointment to the Lancaster

charge, he was believed to be in the last stages of consump-

tion, his physicians pronouncing the left lobe of his lungs

as entirely gone with that disease.

The duties pertaining to the pastorship of St. Mary's

church at the period of his first appointment, were very

arduous, and the labors devolving upon him onerous ; the

Catholic clergymen in America were at that time few in

number, and not one-half that were actually needed ; it there-

fore devolved upon him, in ' connection with his duties at

Lancaster, to attend at alternate periods the missions of

Harrisburg, Lebanon, Colebrook, Elizabethtown and Colum-

bia. This district now occupies the services of twelve pas-

tors. Catholic clergymen are required to attend in cases of

sickness to the calls of any member of their congregations

;

the Catholic, as is well known, in his last illness in all cases

requires the ministrations of his spiritual pastor in order to

have the last sacraments of the church administered to him;

and this branch of ministerial work devolved upon Father

Keenau an immense amount of labor, that we of the present

generation can scarcely realize. This was particularly the

case during- the time that the public works were in progress,

and oft was it necessary for him to cross the Susquehanna

in a frail canoe, and spend day after day among the poor of

his flock, in supplying spiritual food for their souls. For

nearly half a century has this devoted servant of Christ

labored in our midst in the discharge of his pastoral duties.

It would be difficult to cite a similar example, that of a pas-

tor officiating above forty- eight years for one congregation,

a circumstance that in itself sjDcaks volumes in his favor.

The old stone church in which he commenced his labors

still stands, though built more than a century since, (in

1762.) In front of it, however, has been erected one of the

finest churches in the State, a lasting monument of the zeal

manifested by himself and his congregation. During the

absence of Bishop Shannahan at the Ecumenical Council at

Home, in 1870, Father Keenan was designated in lieu of


him, the administrator of the Diocese of Harrisburg. He is

a fine classical scholar, being master of the Greek, Latin

and Hebrew languages, and has also a ready acquaintance

with the French. One trait in the character of the subject

of this notice which deserves special mention, and that which

has endeared him. to all classes, both Catholics and Protest-

ants, and which displays itself in all his actions and language,

is his " charity," which lies at the basis of all true religion.

Bigotry with him never found any countenance. In his dis-

courses, the doctrines of his dissenting brethren were never

maligned or impugned. Each individual who at any time

has heard any of his sermons, must have felt at its close that

although differing in modes of faith, yet that as fellow Chris-

tians we should practice the golden maxim, " to love one

another.''

KEENE, George W., was elected Clerk of the Orphans'

Court in 1869.

KELLER, Samuel, a nephew of Peter Holl, was elected

County Commissioner in 1825. He was a citizen of War-wick township, and for many years the owner of the well-

known Litiz mill. He was an excellent and upright citizen.

His sons have emigrated to Virginia, and are now engaged in

the iron business.

KEMPER, David, was elected County Commissioner in

1862.

KENDIG, Francis, was a member of the Legislature in

1822.

KENEAGY, Samuel, son of Henry Keneagy, was born

June 20th, 1820. Having received an education, finishing

the same in the Strasburg academy, he began the study of

medicine in the ofl&ce of Dr. F. S. Burrowes, in 1812. Heattended the Jefi'erson Medical College in Philadelphia, and

graduated in the spring of ISllr. He began the practice of

medicine in Strasburg with fair success. He ever took a

warm interest in politics, and in 1858 he was nominated and

elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature, and reelected the

following year. During the rebellion he was for a short

time surgeon in the 50th Pennsylvania regiment, under Col.


Franklin. In 1868 he accepted, for one year, a professorsliip

of anatomy, physiology and hygiene in the State Agricultu-

ral College, in Centre county, Pennsylvania. After the expi-

ration of his term, he removed to Lancaster city, and

resumed the practice of medicine.

KENEAGY, Ulrich, was born in Berks county, Penn-

sylvania, and emigrated therefrom in 1795, and settled near

Kinzer station, in Lancaster county. His ancestors were of

the Ornish persuasion, and came from Switzerland about the

middle of the 17th century. The name was originally

spelled Gnege, afterwards Knege, and now Keneagy. Ulrich,

in 1805 moved to near Paradise, then Strasburg township,

and followed farming. Pie had three sons, viz : John, Henryand David. The latter died about 1807. John had one son

and a daughter. Henry married Sarah, the eldest daughter

of Christian Shertz, in 1809, and had seven sons and two

daughters. He died in 1845, aged 63 years.

KENNEDY, Maxwell, a Lancaster county Legislator,

was bom in Warren county, New Jersey, May 1st, 1782.

He emigrated with his father and his family to Salisbury

township, Lancaster county. In the war of 1812 he volun-

teered as aid to General Watson, and marched to York, Pa.,

and from there to Baltimore, arriving the day after the battle,

in time toassist in burying the dead. His division was sent

from there to Elkton, Maryland, and he was appointed Major

of one of the divisions. On account of his powerful voice

and military knowledge, he was at one time drill ofiicer of the

division. The following incident may be mentioned while

he was in the army at Elkton : A rumor was put in circula-

tion that the British had landed on the opposite side of the

bay, and were marching up towards the town. That night

General Watson received orders to take twelve of his most

trusty men, cross the bridge, and go down and reconnoitre

.

the enemy. Mr. Kennedy was one of the chosen twelve.

They crossed the bridge, expecting every moment to come

in contact with the enemy. After marching some distance,

the sentinel fired off his gun. All was ordered ready, when

the sentinel cried quarters. The General asked where the

enemy was, and was told there was no enemy there, Whea


asked why he had done so, he replied that he was so ordered

by his superiors. The party returned back to town, and the

matter was investigated. There were two reasons assigned for

this transaction : One was, that the commander wished to try

the bravery of General Watson ; and the other was, that the

citizens of Blkton, who they were defending, were not sup-

plying them with suitable provisions, and they wanted au

excuse to leave. In the morning the place was deserted;

the inhabitants, fearing danger, had quit the place ; and the

soldiers were only retained by fair promises of better accom-

modations, and which were fully realized until the time of

their departure, when aftairs at New Orleans rendered their

stay no longer necessary, and they were discharged to their

homes and families.

Maxwell Kennedy was elected a member of the Legisla-

ture in 1835 without any solicitation, and declined being a

candidate the next year on account of failing health. Having

led a very active life, close confinement did not agree with

him. He died from cancer of the stomach, after a lingering

illness, August 30th, ISIS.' He was a member of the Pres-

byterian Church, and an influential man in the community.

KERFOOT, De. George B., ^ was born in the city of

Dublin, June 27th, 1808. He emigrated to America whenabout 11 years of age, and when aged 15 he entered the

employ of Dr. Samuel Humes, of Lancaster, as a shop boy,

and the doctor perceiving in him a peculiar brightness,,

induced him to study medicine. After having studied medi-

cine he took up the study of Latin and Greek, and

' December 20th, 1838, Henry Cobler Mussulman, who was under

sentence of death for the murder of Lazarus Zellerbach, sold his body

for five dollars to Dr. Kerfoot, in order that it might be dissected after

he was hung. The assignment of sale is yet preserved, and is in the

handwi-iting of George Ford, esq., and is witnessed by tiie writer of it

and Capt. John Wise.

In this connection the other executions in Lancaster coiuity may be

enumerated. Prior to 17T0 no record of any such is preserved. Fromthe year 1770 till 1780 several executions took place. During this decade

at least five persons were hung in Lancaster county for various oifences;

other crimes than muider being then punished with death. A mannamed "Jockey Jones," was hung for horse stealing ; Catharine Fisher

for infanticide ; Capt. Taylor for highway robbery ; a colored man for


unaided lie made considerable proficiency tlierein. He also

studied the German, and was able to read it witb great ease

and fluency. He attended tlie medical lectures of Jefferson

College, in Philadelphia, and graduated March, 1830. Heimmediately began in Lancaster the practice of the profes-

sion, and soon succeeded in acquiring a lucrative practice.

In a few years he rose to great distinction, and ranked

amongst the ablest in the profession. He was one of the

main instruments in establishing the Laiicaster County Medi-

cal Society. He established an anatomical hall, and was

in the habit of giving lectures during the winter to numbers

of students. At one time the number of his students reached

sixty. Dr. John McCalla was numbered amongst his

students. The Rev. Mr. Bahnson and many other intellectual

men frequented his lectures during the winter season. Hewas for several years a leading member of the Lancaster

school board, and also of the city councils. Dr. Kerfoot

died in 1851, leaving a large and lucrative practice, aged 43

years, 3 months and 16 days. Dr. Kerfoot was an ardent

and active Democrat, and was a frequent contributor to the

Lancaster papers, especially to the Intelligencer. He was

possessed of a poetic genius, and wrote some poems of great

merit, lie was frequently summoned as a witness to testify

in medical cases before the courts in Baltimore, Harrisburg,

and elsewhere, especially where critical questions were to be

decided. He, on several occasions, delivered public lectures

on the eyes and brain, those parts of the human system to

which he had given the most study. On the Haggerty trial

Tape, committed upon a wliite woman ; and Samuel Brandt for killing

liis own father and setting the dwelling house on fire. From 1780 until

1823 no person was hung in Lancaster county. On the '2.5th of October,

1833, John Lecliler was executed for the murder of his wife, MaryLechler. Daniel Sheaifer was hung April 13th, 1833, for the murder of

a widow, named Bowers, living in Marietta. Sheaft'er was convicted

upon his own confession, alleging that the reproaches of his conscience

no longer permitted him to conceal his crime. He voluntarily sur-

rendered himself, and was committed, tried and executed. Henry Smith

(colored) ^Mts hung May 11th, 1838, for the murder of Benjamin Peart,

of Columbia. This execution took place in the jail yard, and was the

first which was carried into execution after the passage of the lawabolishing pubUc executions. John Haggeriy was, in 1847, executed

for the murder of Melchoir Fordney and a woman named Catharine


he was the principal witness. Dr. Kerfoot was a lead-

ing member of the Masonic fraternity, being at the time of

his death District Deputy Grand Master. He was proverbial

for his charity, and but for this trait in his character he

might have accumulated a vast fortune from his medical

practice.

KEYS, EicHARD, was a member of the Legislature in the

years 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799 and 1800.

KIEFFER, Christian, was elected a member of the

Legislature in the year 1840, and reelected in 1841. He was

three times elected Mayor of the city of Lancaster in the

years 1852, 1853 and 1854.

KIMMBL, Jacob, a member of the Legislature in 1803,

1803, 1806, 1807, 1808 and 1809.

KING, Robert, one of the early settlers of Little Britain

township, emigrated from Ireland, and came to Lancaster

county about 1717. Tie took up a tract of 150 acres of land

and followed agricultural pursuits. His son, John, was a

clergyman, and became pastor of the congregation, of which

the father of James Buchanan' was a member. Robert King,

one of the descendants of the first settler of this name, was

born January 2d, 1789. He marched in 1814 as lieutenant

of a company, under Dr. James McOulloch as captain; and

when the latter was promoted to be surgeon of the regiment,

Mr. King succeeded to the captaincy of the company. For

many years he served as colonel of the Lancaster militia.

Tripple, as also- one of her children. Alexander Anderson and Hem-y

Richards (both colored) were executed in April, 1858, for the murders of

Mrs. Garher and Mrs. Ream, of Manheim township.

Before the period of the abolition of pubUc executions the execution-

ers wore ma.sks, and the condemned criminals were taken from their

place of confinement, placed upon their own coffin in a cart, and driven

through the streets, directly under the gallows, often amid the hoots

and jeers of the excited populace. The public parade thus made of

tile prisoner, and the consequent spectacle of the execution, were sup-

posed to be calculated to intimidate offenders from the perpetration of

like oflcnces. It came, however, to be believed that the object aimed at

was not attained, and public sensibility at length revolting at the idea

of public executions, they were discontinued.

' Rev. .John King was the first to perceive the remarkable ability of

James Buchanan, when a boy, and it was he who fii'st suggested to his


*KING-, Vincent, son of Yinceat and Mary King, was

born in Little Britain township, (in that part now included

in Fulton), Lancaster county, in the year 1786. His mother's

maiden name was Brown; she was a daughter of Joshua

Brown, a distinguished minister among the Friends. Her an-

cestors, have been traced back long prior to the days of

William Penn, many of them having come over from Eng-

land soon after Fenn's settlements on the Delaware.

His paternal grandfather was James King, an early settler

in this neighborhood. The father of the subject of this

sketch had six children, as follows: Joshua, James, Vincent,

Jeremiah, Mary and Hannah. Vincent, the third son, in

early youth was known as a remarkably active boy, of a

kind disposition, and possessed of a lively imagination. His

parents being strict Friends, he was sent to Westtown school,

an institution under the fostering care of that Society, to re-

ceive a thorough English education. He remained at this

school several terms, and while there the following incident

took place, which may have had a tendency to lead him to

pursue the study of medicine and adopt the practice of it as

an avocation in after-life. One of the students was attacked

with what was then termed typhus fever, and to use a com-

mon phrase, was " given up to die" by the attending physician.

Vincent King—a brother student—became much interested

in the case, and asked permission of the superintendent to

nurse and attend upon the pupil, who had now ceased to

receive much aid from the physician in charge of the insti-

tution. Permission was granted, and young King assumed

charge of the piatient, watching him night and day, pre-

scribing and caring for his school-mate. Finally, the sick

student recovered, and, we are informed, is yet living at an

advanced age. This success with his first patient led Vincent

parents the propriety of aflfording him an education. It has been told

us, by an aged citizen, that upon one occasion when James Buchanan,

was dismissed from Dickinson College, for some student delinquency,

his parents applied to Rev. King to have him re-instated. This the

Rev. King accomplished, he being at the time one of the trustees of

the institution, and for this act of kindness Mr. Buchanan ever bore his

«arly pastor a lasting good-will.

*Contributed by Charles H. Stubbs, M. D.


King to inquire further into the mysteries of the healing art,

and while he remained at this school he was called doctor, bypupils and teachers.

Leaving Westto.wn, he at once chose the profession of medi-

cine, and with this end in view, repaired in company with his

brother, Jeremiah, to Philadelphia—then, as it is now, the

seat of medical science in this country. Here he entered

the ofl&ce of Dr. Houston, an eminent practitioner of that city,

and after preparing himself, entered and attended a regular

course of lectures in the medical department of the Uni-

versity of Pennsylvania. He graduated in the class of 1807.

The same year in which he received his degree of Doctor of

Medicine, he was united in marriage to Phoebe Trimble,

daughter of William Trimble, of Uwchland township, Ches-

ter county. Immediately after marriage he settled in Phila-

delphia, and practiced his profession in that city for about

two years; he then removed to Goshen, Chester county,

and while there obtained an extensive practice. Being of

an unsettled state of mind, he remained in this location but

a short time, and thence migrated to Baltimore, Md., and

finally to Columbia, Pa. . At the last named place he met

with great affliction in the loss of his wife, who was removed

from earth after a short illness. Her decease took place in

the year 1816, in the 28th year of her age. Dr. King

remained a widower five years, and married Patience

Wright, in the year 1821. From the time of the decease of

bis first wife until his marriage with the second, he remained

and practiced medicine at Columbia. After the second mar-

riage he removed to Little Britain, near the place of his birth,

and resided with his mother and brother. Here he at once

entered into a large practice, which continued to increase

every year.

Being called to see a patient at Webb's forge, he was

suddenly taken ill, and so violently held that he could not be

removed to his residence. After lingering a few days, sur-

rounded by friends anxious that he should recover, he de-

parted this life on the 2d of December, 1825, aged 39 years.

In his last illness he was fully sensible of his precarious con-

dition, and in answer to some friend who was solicitous of


his welfare, he replied, that he " must die as well as others,

and that they must be willing to give him up." He was the

father of five children, viz : Mary Ann, Lydia T., Jane P.,

William T., and Jeremiah. All the sons died in infancy

—

the eldest daughter dying in her thirteenth year ; only two

survive, Lydia T., and Jane P., now Mrs. Edge.

Dr. King was a man of talent and was well posted in his

profession, being on intimate terms with some of the most

distinguished medical men of his day. In person, he pos-

sessed a fine and commanding appearance ; and in his move-

ments was quick and vivacious. Gifted with rare conversa-

tional powers, he was well calculated to succeed and become

eminent in his profession. While he practiced in different

localities, several students, in order to avail themselves of

the advantages to be derived from the counsels of so able and

worthy a practitioner, studied medicine under his direction.

Among the number were Dr. Glatz, of Marietta, and Dr. Jere-

miah B. Stubbs, of Fulton. Dr. King was not only learned

in his profession, but was familiar with the old English poets,

and, to some extent, cultivated an innate taste for the muses.

Even when engaged in a laborions practice, he would devote

occasional hours to reading and writing verse. On the

deaths of his aged mother and his little sons, he wrote sev-

eral stanzas, filled with sorrowful reflections that pervaded

his mind at the time of these afflictions. These we have

failed to secure.

In concluding this sketch, we insert two of his poetical

productions, one an extempore piece, the other

"A MONODY ON THE DEATH OF HIS WIFE."

Alas ! Maria is no more ; dread death,

With vengeful ire has hurled his missive dart,

And left me hei-e to languish out my days,

To weep unseen in deepest solitude,

And mourn amidst the giddy scenes of men.My comfort and my love of life is tied

—

In one dread hour was severed from my soul

;

Deep consternation, awful reveries tlowed

Throughout each day and melancholy night—Oh ! had I met my lasting, final fate,

Ere manliood raised for me her spotted crown,

And fired me with ambition's wild career !

OF LANCASTER COUXTT. 345-

Then had I slept in undistm-bed repose,

Unconscious of the sweeping scythe of time.

Dear Maria's image dwells with me,

And may her virtues long vibrate my heart

;

Her soothing voice amid afflictions sore.

Buoyed up my soul and checked the rising tear

;

When death his double mission had performed

And paralyzed, as with electric flash.

Two blooming boys, just raised to interest dear,

To show their pressing wants and smile assent,

And joyous chatter all the livelong day;

Bereft of these, in deep affliction bathed.

She sighed and with a pious soul resigned,

Proclaimed that God who gave had a right to take,

To call away in youth or hoary age.

EXTEMPORE.

Great Architect of worlds above, below.

Who formed the soul and taught its fires to glow;

Whose mighty fiat rules and reigns above,

Thou Being of all beings, God of love,

Oh teach us to be wise and prize Thee more

Thau earthly wealth and all its chequered store.

Without Thee all creation is but dust,

Delivered o'er to death and wai'ring lust.

Confusion dread would ovenvhelm the whole,

And darkness and despair apjiaU the soul.

But with Thee we are rich without alloy.

All beauty, order and consummate joy.

KINZER, Dr. E., elected to the State Senate in 1851.

KIRK, Jacob, elected a member of the Legislature in

1823 and 182.5.

KITTERA, John W., son of Thomas Kittera, was born in

East Earl township, Lancaster county. He graduated at

Princeton College, New Jersey, in 1776, and afterwards

practiced law at Lancaster. He represented Lancaster county

in Congress from 1791 until 1801, a period of ten years. Hewas then appointed United States District Attorney for the

eastern district of Pennsylvania, and removed to Philadel-

phia. He was a man of fine personal appearance, and ex-

ceedingly gentlemanly and polite in his intercourse with his

fellow-citizens.

KONIGMACHER, Joseph, was a native of Lancaster

county, and a man of high standing and influence in the

25

346 BIO&KAPHICAL HISTORY

community in wiiich he lived. He was the proprietor of

the popular summer resort at Ephrata—the Mountain Springs

hotel. In 1837-38 he was a member of the Reform Con-

vention, called for the amendment of the State Constitution,

and although at the time young and inexperienced in legis-

lation, he discharged his duties with great credit to himself

and his constituents. He strongly ojDposed the law that com-

pelled the people of any school district to accept the Free

School System of education contrary to their wishes, and he

favored a system by which the Germans could have their

children taught German if they choose. In 1838 he was

nom'iuated and elected a member of the Legislature, and was

reelected in 1839- As a legislator, he took an active part in

all questions of general and local policy, and distinguished

himself by the production of one of the ablest documents

that ever emanated from our legislative halls

—

The Report on

an Asylum for the Insane Poor. Mr. Konigmacher was, in

181:6, recommended by the Whig convention of Lancaster

county as a candidate for Canal Commissioner, and he served

during that same year as one of the members of the WhigState Central Committee. In 1848 he was nominated and

elected tc- the State Senate of Pennsylvania, the duties of

which ofBce he discharged with entire satisfaction. He died at

Michael's hotel, in the city of Lancaster, April 4th, 1861.

In politics he was a strong and enthusiastic Whig, and

always exerted himself—whether in public or private life

—

to promote the success of the principles of his party. While

in ofiB-ce, it was his aim to endeavor to introduce the princi-

ples in which he believed, into the administration of the State

government. In his youth he had been a mechanic, and in

feeling was strongly identified, and always deservedly popu-

lar with the laboring classes. In his disposition he was

kind, genial, and open-hearted, and was possessed of a singu-

lar sweetness in his deportment and great amiability of

manners.

*KEAMPH, Feedeeic John, was born near the village of

Schleiesbach, in the valley of Auc, about three miles from

the city of Heidelberg, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, on the

*Coiitributed by S. S. Bathvon.


lltli of March, 1811. The paternal residence was an humble

cottage, about half a mile from the banks of the Necker, and

his ancestors were plain, honest fishermen, and members of

the German Reformed church, highly esteemed by the com-

munity in which they resided. At about six years of age

he was placed in an excellent school for children, in Heidel-

berg, his mother having removed to that place—having lost

his father before he was born—where he remained until

after the death of his mother, in 1819, when he was just eight

years old. He was then placed in the Orphans' Asylum of

Heidelberg, where he remained until he had attained his

fourteenth year, and where he patiently endured all the de-

privations and hardships incidental to such institutions at

that period, in a monarchical government. The curriculum

of the Asylum included among other things, the preparation

of its inmates for "confirmation" in the German Reformed

church, and after that event was consummated with our

subject, he was bound apprentice to Herr Schulemyer, until

he was twenty years of age, and taught the art and mystery

of the tailoring trade. He was always active, obedient, and

intelligent; and in every position he occupied throughout

. his life, he always shared largely of the popular esteem. Ofcourse, situated as he was, his educational means were very

limited, but he was always fond of reading, and availed him-

self of every opportunity to gratify his love of books. Hewas religiously predisposed, and in his reading did not forget

to include the Bible, and at a very early age possessed him-

self of a copy. Before he was twenty-one, he had read nearly

all of Cooper's novels that had then been translated into

German, and the reading of these works gave birth to the

desire to ultimately emigrate to, and make his home in.

America. Having neither father nor mother, sister nor

brother, nor any more remote relative that manifested any

special interest in him, there were, therefore, no special ties

of consanguinity to bind him to his fatherland.

He spent about eighteen months in traveling through his

own country and adjoining German States, after the end of

his apprenticeship, working at his trade at intervals to obtain

the necessary means ; but as the traveling of journeymen


mechanics, at that period, was always performed on foot, his

wants were easily supplied. Indeed, there were facilities

afforded to pedestrians, in many of the German States at

that period, that America has perhaps never known. Atthe convents, monasteries, and the houses of the rich and

the noble along the public roads, a special mug of beer or

wine, with a slice of brown bread, was reserved for the way-

passer, and which he could claim, and was accorded to him as

a privilege. Eeturning to Heidelberg in the early spring,,

after some preparation he proceeded in company with others

to the city of Mauheim, where he bid a final adieu to his

native land in the blooming month of June, and sailed for

America, landing at the city of Baltimore in August, 1832.

When he landed at Baltimore he had but a single Heller^ in

his purse ; all had been exhausted during the long passage.

After working about a week in Baltimore, and finding busi-

ness dull, full of hope and trust in the leadings of Providence

—a trust that never forsook him during his entire life—he

struck out for the interior of our vast country on foot, and

in di\e time reached the borough of York, Pennsylvania,

where he obtained employment. Learning, however, that

his employer was had pay, he left his service and demanded

the wages that were due him. This being withheld or re-

fused, he was advised to sue him, which he accordingly did,

and brought him before a justice " forthwith" on a capias,

and obtained his money. Being at this time without a

Bible, with these wages he immediately purchased a copy,

and was again alone in the world with only a few shillings

in his purse, and out of employment. Eetiring to a woodnear the town, he there knelt down under the shade of a

friendly tree, and poured forth his fervent thanks to the

Almighty for the blessings he enjoyed in a land of liberty,

for in his own country justice could not have been thus ob-

tained so speedily.

Eeturning to the town again, he met Mr. John Bell, of

Marietta, in search of a journeyman tailor, and immediately

went into his service, and accompaanied him to that place,

where he remained until January, 1833. We record these

' Five Hellers are equivalent to one United States ceut.

OF LANCASTER COUXTT. 8-i9

peculiar events here, because our subject made it a rule of

life always to do his whole duty so far as he had an opportu-

nity and abilit}' to do it, and then to "wait patiently on the

Lord," feeling assured that " He would bring it to pass," so

far as was best for his temporal and spiritual welfare. At

Marietta he contracted friendships that continued through-

out his entire life, and there he also made progress in acquir-

ing a knowledge of the English language, and in acquaint-

ing himself with English literature, and learning the modes

and manners of his adopted country. He left Marietta on

foot, in mid-winter, and visited Lancaster, Eeadiug, Lebanon,

and Hummelstown, in search of employment, but was not

successful until he reached the last nan-ed place, and his pecu-

niary means, through a liberality which was a leading charac-

teristic in him, were again nearly exhausted. Here he made

himself so useful and was so highly esteemed by his employer,

that he offered extra inducements for him to remain and

take a partnership in his business, but as those inducements

contemplated a contingency not within the category of his

immediate future intention, he therefore left this town,

at the opening of early spring, and wended his way to Har-

risburg, the capital of the State. Here he made application

for employment at every tailoring establishment in the place

without success. Much exhausted, but still hopeful, he

entered a German " Gast-House," near the terminus of the

only bridge that then spanned the Susquehanna at that place,

and called for a " shepley bier," and the ever accompanying

"pretzel," to recuperate his tired energies. Finding the host

a native of his own " fatherland," he soon entered into a

cheerful and interesting conversation with him, which was

only interrupted by the entrance of another visitor.

This visitor was a Mr. Backstresser, from New Cumber-

land, a village in the southeastern ifngle of Cumberland

county, where the Yellow-breeches creek empties into the

Susquehanna river, and he was in search of a tailor to take

charge of business in a room next to his store in that place.

The host immediately referred him to Mr. Kramph, whostill sat at the table sipping his beer, as a person he thought

would suit him, and an engagement was soon made with him.


to go and set up business for himself in New Cumberland.

After a visit to a hardware store to procure a tailor's iron,

an extra pair of shears, and other necessary implements, he

at once accompanied Mr. B. to the village, and began a newand active career of life in America. At this place heremained until the spring of 1840, a period of seven years,

during which time he made many warm friends, and accu-

mulated some property. Here he obtained his naturalization

papers, identified himself with the interests and policies of

our institutions, and entered into the progressive spirit of

our country; and, perhaps, few men have become so

thoroughly Americanized in so short a time as he was, andno man could possibly have manifested more gratitude than

he did for the blessings he enjoyed in a land of liberty.

Always of temperate, studious, and industrious habits, he

had no idle hours, for those fragments of time not neces-

sarily devoted to business, were employed in the cultivation

of his mind; and as aids to this end, he commenced to accu-

mulate English and German books, gave some attention ta

the natural sciences, and kept up a regular correspondence

with a few intellectual friends in his native land. Perhaps

the greatest turning point in his life took place during the

latter years of his residence in New Cumberland. His

religious sentiments had, however, undergone a change, and

he became deeply imbued with the doctrines of Restoration-

ism. His ultimate aim, also, was a settlement somewhere

in the great West, and from causes, real or imaginary, he

had made a semi-resolve never to enter into marriage.

During the winter of 1835 or 1836 an exciting religious

revival took place at New Cumberland, and many of his

friends and neighbors became seriously but too temporarily

affected. One evening, after the dismissal of the congrega-

tion, perhaps half a dozen of the better class of young menof the town assembled at his shop, and the conversation was

on the subject of religion. One said, for his part, he was a

Presbyterian, another was a Lutheran, another a Baptist, a

German Eeformed, and so on until all had expressed their

religious preferences, except Mr. Kramph. "Well, Frederic,"

said one, " What is your faith ?" Being religiously uusettled


in mind, he casually replied, " I am a Swedenborgian."

Now, he had never read a line of Swedenborg in his life, and

never had heard his name until he had heard it mentioned

by a passenger on board the ship during his voyage from

Europe, and then only as a great seer in connection with the

" Seeress of Prevorst" and others. " Oh !" said one of the

young men, " We have a book at our house written bySwedenborg, which we found on taking possession of the

premises sticking under one of the rafters on the garret."

According to promise, the book was brought the next day

to Mr. Kramph. It was " Heaven and Hell," translated from

the Latin by Eev. Thomas Hartly, of England, with a long

preface. Busy as he was, he immediately read the preface

and fell to deeply thinking ; then laid it aside for a few

weeks, and read it again and again. He then read the bookitself and reflected, and then read it again. At this second

reading, he drank it in as the ultimatum of theological truth

as fast as he was capable of receiving it. He soon thereafter

made the acquaintance of the venerable Joseph Ehrenfried,

then State printer at Harrisburg, and through him, of

Henry Keffer, and Louis C. lungerich, of Lancaster city,

and he borrowed or purchased the works of Swedenborg,

and the collateral literature of the church as rapidly as time,

means, and opportunity afforded ; and so far as he under-

stood them, he received their doctrines as the truth, without

a doubt, and also tried to the best of his ability to live them.

In 1836 a small society of Swedenborgians was formed,

and met for worship in Lancaster city, and Mr. Kramphbecame a member of it, and this induced him to visit that

place more frequently and to form a more intimate acquaint-

ance with its members and the church in general, than wouldotherwise have existed, which lead to the turning point

before alluded to, and which took place about three years

afterwards, for he had sold his property and had even madea purchase of some western town lots with a view of settling

there. Whilst on a visit to Lancaster in 1839, his friends

there suggested a settlement in that city instead of the west,

when he accordingly changed his mind and removed thither in

the month of March, 1840, and commenced the business of a


merchant tailor and clothier. He was the first man that

gave impulse to merchant tailoring in Lancaster city. Pre-

vious to his location there, but one small estabhshment of

the kind, with a very limited stock, existed there, and there

"vvas much prejudice against it b}' those whose interests it

seemed to conflict with. At this time there are at least a

dozen such establishments in the place, and the stock in them

from a few huuflreds of dollars has increased to many thou-

sands. His active, energetic mind, foimd a wider field here

for the display of its powers, and he soon commanded a large

and a reasonably lucrative business. His affability, his

social qualities, and his general integrity was such, that he

made many friends, even among those who might otherwise

have been his enemies. To him also, perhaps, belongs the

credit of stimulating those building improvements which so

conspicuously distinguishes the last twenty years of the

material history of Lancaster. If the men of ample means

in that city had done as much for it in proportion to their

abilities, as Mr. Kramph did in proportion to his, perhaps at

this dky it would not have been so far outstripped in business

and population as it has been by its sister city of Eeading.

It is true, that other men may have since erected more

splendid private residences, made more showy and conveni-

ent store improvements, and built a greater number of

bouses, but they have been but following his excellent and

enterprising example, and have been identifying themselves

with that spirit of improvement which was developed so

largely through his innovations upon the old fossilized order

of things, which existed prior to 184:0. Nothing gave him

more pleasure than to see men engaged in building up and

beautifying his adopted city, except perhaps when he him-

self could be of any assistance to them, in doing so ; and

hence he aided many an honest, industrious poor man, in

providing himself a home, which, without his aid, he might

never have accomplished. Mr. Kramph was liberal in his

donations and support of all worthy enterprises ; liberal in

the support of religious institutions, and especially those of

his own faith; liberal in his sentiments towards those whodifi'ered from him in politics and religion; liberal in his coa-


tributions to all public and private cbarities ; and liberal in

his remembrances of his family and his friends ; and yet he

was singularly free from ostentation, and never seemed to

claim any special merit for any good he may have done. In

his estimate of men, he was influenced more by their actions

than by their 'professions ; and if they were honest and pure,

they were infinitely more in fraternal harmonj' with him than

if they were intellectual and corrupt, no matter what their

social and pecuniary condition may have been. He could

not have been called a wit, and never indulged in ambigui-

ties and double meanings, and yet he always appreciated

pure witticisms in others, and was quick in perceiving their

point. He was exceedingly kind, affectionate and forbearing

in all his social and domestic relations, and seemed to enjoy

no place on earth more than the jDrecincts of his famil}^

circle. Although he was interested and actively engaged

in the progress of the world, yet he could not, in any sense,

have been called " a man of the world.'"

Mr. Kramph was married three times. His first marriage

was in 1841, with Miss Ann, a daughter of Eev. James

Eobinson, a Swedenborgian minister, formerly of Derby-

shire, England. The issue of this marriage was two sous

and two daughters, a son and daughter of whom still sur-

vive, the other two having died in infancy. His first wife

died in July, 1847, much lamented by her family and

friends. He entered into marriage a second time with Miss

Mary, a sister of his first wife, in October, 1848. The issue

of this marriage was one daughter, which died in infancy.

His second wife died in November, 1849. After these sad

ruptures in his domestic relations, he broke up housekeep-

ing, and placed his two surviving children at a boarding

school, in the State of Rhode Island, and spent some months

in traveling through the eastern, western and northern

States, leaving his business, under his direction, in the hands

of his foreman. In the autumn of 1853 he entered a third

time into marriage with Miss Sarah M., a daughter of the

late David Pancoast, formerly of Cincinnati, Ohio. By this

marriage he had no issue. Nothing could possibly have

been a truer reflex of the elevated character of the man,


than his union with the pure, high-toned and intellectual

women he had chosen as his married partners. Perhaps few

men have been more hapjjy and better contented, during the

continuance of their marriage relations, than our subject,

and more sincerely regretted their abrupt termination than

he did whilst at the same time he endeavored to yield a

willing resignation to the things " which seemed ordained."

Mr. Kramph was of a bilious, sanguine temperament,

and perhaps inhe'rited from his mother, a rather delicate

physical constitution ;and had it not been for the predomi-

nating energies of his will, his body might have succumbed

long before it did. After an active and useful life in

America, of twenty-six years, eighteen of which were passed

in Lancaster city, he was " gathered to his fathers " oh the

18th of April, 1858, aged 47 years, 1 month and 7 days.

Although Mr. Kramph never sought political, civil, social

or literary distinction, yet he was identified with many of

the progressive movements of his day. He was an active

member of the select council of Lancaster city, and for

many years a member of the board of school directors, and

was serving in that capacity when he died. He was also

one of the members of the " Old Lyceum," and nearly

eighteen years a meraber of the " Mechanics' Library Asso-

ciation," and one of the few who assisted in reviving and

sustaining that time-honored institution. He was one of

the originators and most active sustainers of the "Lancaster

New Jerusalem Society," and a life member of the " Swe-

denborg Printing and Publishing Society," of New York.

His sustaining influence was not only exercised towards the

persons and institutions of his adopted country, but he also

sent liberal annuities to some needy aged friends in his native

land, one of whom was his foster-mother, and for whom he

always entertained a filial affection. In politics he was

rather a conservative, and for twenty years had been a mem-ber of the Whig party, but was not a distinctive party man," right or wrong," but was willing to- make some concessions

—other things being equal—to friendship and to local pride.

Perhaps few men, in his sphere of life, have left such a

favorable and lasting impression upon the minds of those


vvlio knew them, than he has ; and many remember with

gratitude the countenance, the encouragement, and the

material support he afforded them in the beginning of a

subsequent successful career in life. Few men in his cir-

cumstances have shared more, largely the confidence of the

community in which he lived, or have had more deference

paid to their judgments on matters in general than he. Hedied as he had lived, with a full faith in the verities of his

church, believing that in the " other life " he would be judged

out of the book which he had written by his acts, intents •

and purposes in " this life," and that as death left him, so

would judgment find him.

KEEADY, J. C, was elected County Commissioner in the

year 1868.

KREIDEE, Jacob, the first settler of the numerous family

of this name, took up eight hundred acres of land on the

north side of the Conestoga, about two miles south of the

city of Lancaster. He settled in Lancaster county in 1716

or 1717. His descendants are very numerous.

KEEITER, Benjamin, was appointed Clerk of the Or-

phans' Court in 1829.

KEUG, Jacob, was a member of the Legislature in the

year 1781.

KUCHER, Christopher, a member of the Legislature

in the years 1779, 1780, 1781 and 1782.

KUHN, Adam Simon, Dr., son of John Christopher

Kuhn, was a native of a small town of Swabia, near HeilbroH,

on the Neckar. He came with his father to Philadelphia in

1733. He was a man of bright natural parts, improved bythe benefits of a liberal education, and he was considered as

a very skillful, attentive and successful practitioner of medi-

cine. He was a magistrate of the borough of Lancaster for

many years, and an elder of Trinity Lutheran church. Hewas exceedingly zealous and enthusiastic in his efibrts to

promote classical education among the youth of the borough.

For this purpose he procured the erection of a school house,

in which the Greek and Latin languages were taught by

skilled preceptors. There was no one amongst his cotempo-


raries who had at heart more the spreading of religion, and

there was no place of worship throughout the whole county to

which he did not liberally subscribe. The utmost pains were

bestowed by him on the education of his numerous offspring,

in order to enable them to become useful members of society.

There is a tablet in the Lutheran church, perpetuating his

memory. Dr. John Kuhn, Dr. Frederick Kuhn, and Dr.

Adam Kuhn were sons of the above. Dr. John Kuhngraduated at the Academy of Pennsylvania, and afterwards

at the University of Edinburg. He was a surgeon in the" Eevolutionary army. He first located at Eeading, and mar-

ried a Miss Jones of that place, and afterwards returned to

Lancaster, where he practiced till his death. He was one of

the leading physicians of Lancaster. Dr. Frederick Kuhnwas also one of the leading physicians of Lancaster. Heserved for some time as associate judge of the courts. Hedied April 1st, 1816, in the 68th year of his age. Dr. AdamKuhn was professor of botany and materia medica in the

University of Pennsylvania.

*KUETZ, Jacob, was elected County Cqmmissioner in

the year 1829, on the first Anti-Masonic ticket which was

successful. He was the only son of John and Magdalena

Kurtz, of Chester county. He was a member of the Omish

church. Inheriting a lame foot, his father gave him a fair

English education, in order to enable him to make his way the

better in life. He followed scheol teaching till his marriage,

and then his father gave him a farm. He carried on farming,

and at the same time he engaged himself considerably in

conveyancing. Writing a beautiful hand, he soon gained

the reputation of being a first-class scrivener, as also a

farmer. He was a great friend of the free school system

and of temiDerance. He felt disinclined to sell his corn

to distillers, and he advised his neighbors to feed their corn

to their stock. When he took his seat as a member of the

board of commissioners, he found many things that he con-

demned. He was in for economy in everything where

money could be saved with prudence. He was greatly

denounced by those who had been in the habit of getting

*Coutributed by Levi S. Reist.

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 35T

bargains in contracts from the old board. His efforts did

much to inaugurate a new and better system. He secured

the confidence of his fellow-citizens for his vigorous and suc-

cessful efforts in establishing economy in the board of com-

missioners. Industry and economy was his life's motto.

KUETZ, Jacob H., was elected Prothonotary in the year

1845.

*KyLE, John, was among the earliest settlers of the

western part of old Sadsbury (now Eden) township ; and

before Lancaster county was organized he had purchased

nearly all the land in the western part of the township,

extending from the Strasburg township line to Quarryville.

He is said to have emigrated from Ireland, and to have

belonged to the original Scoteh-Irish, and was a man of

considerable influence among the early pioneers. He was a

member of the second grand jury for Lancaster county, in

November, 1730. He was elected to the Legislature from

Lancaster county for the year 1731, and reelected for the

year 1733. He was commissioned a justice of the peace at

Chestnut Level, by Governor Thomas, in the year 1738.

He was re-appointed to the same office a number of times,

which office he held with credit to himself and general

satisfaction to the public, for the space of about twenty years.

L.

LANDIS, David, a soldier of the Revolution, who enlisted

when but 17 years of age, and served faithfully till

the termination of the struggle, a period of five years and

'

seven months. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits,

and in 1824 was elected from Ephrata township a memberof the Pennsylvania Lpgislature. He died April 7th, 1852,

aged ninety years.

fLANDIS FAMILY. All the citizens of a community

naturally feel, to a greater or less extent, an interest in the

people generally who, generation after generation were in-

*Conti-ibuted by Isaac Walker,

fContributed by Andrew M. Frantz, esq.


strumental in developing their religious, moral and material

condition. And in proportion that this instrumentality ex-

erted itself and manifests itself in great and good results, this

feeling of interest grows strong and anxious. A large body

of people can, however, not be contemplated with the same

satisfaction as one may contemptate an individual or a par-

ticular family of individuals. Entirely free from any just

imputation for invidious distinction between families or

individuals, the selection of a particular family under the

circumstances of this occasion and for the purposes of this

publication, will not be regarded as any breach of propriety.

That Lancaster county is foremost in the march of modern

improvement and achievement in field culture, in farm

buildings, and fences, and in the use of the improved machin-

ery for agricultural purposes and the general comfort, pros-

perity and happiness of the rural population, is neither

doubted nor disputed by any body. The past and present

generations have made this county what it is, by their

wisdom and virtue, their industry and economy. The pres-

ent generation owe a debt of gratitude to generations nowpassing away, and those who have passed away before them.

More is owing to certain individuals than others, and more

to certain families than to others. It is not necessary to

inquire into the causes for this difference, the fact that it

exists is sufficient.

There are many families who have, through many gene-

rations, been noted for their religious and moral excellence,

their sterling character for industry, and economy. There

is, however, one family in this county, that is after all, per-

haps, entitled to some sort of superiority or preference, not

because of anything particularly prominent in individual

character of one or more of its members, but rather on

account of its numerical strength and steady devotion to the

interests of Lancaster county—plain farming. There is no

family so closely and so essentially connected with the

growth and development of Lancaster county, as the Landis

family. It is more numerous, and continued to be through

all generations, time and changes devoted to farming, which

department of industry made this county what it is, as is


•well known. The pedigree, or genealogy of this numerous

and powerful family, will be herein accurately given to the

fifth generation or degree, from the first emigrant, the root

of the stock. The biography of the family will be given in

a general way, rather than individual. The family are not

so much distinguished for producing great public men as for

the uniform private worth of all its members]; not intending

to convey the idea that they would have been less able or

competent to fill public positions than others, but that a

certain feature of character impelled them;always to attend to

their own business first. They are not and^never have been

ambitious for public honors or preferment, except such as

naturally spring from good private citizenship. As a family

they have maintained, in a very great degree, the genuine

Lancaster county character, having been industrious and

economical without almost an exception. Modesty, cool-

ness and deliberation are some of the leading character-

istics of the stock, and these proved a shield of defence

against the allurements and enticements of excitements and

speculations, which obtained here and there, and which

tempted some others more unstable to follow the delusive

phantoms, leading them away from the land of their fathers

to seek fortunes elsewhere. The Landis family are nearly

all here at this time, and most pf them own one or more

farms. The propositus or common progenitor of the Landis

family, whose descendants are here traced and arranged in

order, by branches of families, emigrated to this country in

1718, a native of Switzerland. No one knows, and none

can tell anything beyond this. Like most of the early

settlers in the wilds of America, this pioneer was of the com-

mon class of people, comparatively poor in worldly posses-

'

sions, and upon arriving here had quite enough to do

to provide for himself and his family the necessaries for

subsistence ; in other words, to keep the wolf from the door.

The new and unknown home, with its many privations and

wants at first, after awhile the gradual development of

goodly prospects in the land of adoption, all combined to

preclude all thought, as it seems, of making any note or

record of things left behind or transpiring in the present.


These pioneer settlers, in the wilds of America, instinctively

became the champions of the great and peculiarly American

principle of progress. Onward ! upward ! has beet, the

motto all along the line of generations that have lived,

flourished and passed away. The present generations have

literally been helped out of the woods by the past. Wehave been put in a position that enable us from its eminence

to look back, still nothing is to be seen or known beyond

the period of ancestral emigration. The dark curtain which

time draws over all earthly things, is let down so low and

has become so thick that, in the absence of recorded history,

we cannot penetrate it ; the beginning of our forefathers in

this country, is our absolute beginning.

Eev. Benjamix Laxdis, a Mennonite preacher, accom-

panied by his only son and child, whose name was alsa

Benjamin, aged eighteen years, came to America from Swit-

zerland in the year 1718, and bought from the Conestogo

Indians a tract of about two hundred and forty acres of

land, situated in what is now East Lampeter township, about

four miles from Lancaster city, at the intersection of the

Horse-shoe and old Philadelphia roads. The most part of the

original tract is now owned and occupied by Henry N. Lan-

dis, in the fifth degree from the propositus.

Bexjamin Laxdis, the younger emigrant, had four sons,

whose names were in the order of their births and respective

ages, as follows : Benjamin Landis, Abraham Landis, Jacob

Landis, and Henry Landis. The plan adopted to illustrate

the fedigree of the family, is to take these four sons, being

the first born upon the soil, in the order of their respective

ages, and enumerate the descendants of each one of them in

regular order to the fifth degree. Counting the senior or

older emigrant, the first degree or beginning, will place the

four first born upon the soil in the third degree. This plan

will bring us to, and stop with, the generation now repre-

sented by men all over sixty years of age, but about one-

half of them still living, and all of them second cousins in

relationship. They being in cousinship one degree nearer

tban they would be if the progenitor would have had two

or more sons with descendants in the male line. With a


view to a better understanding of the matter, one of each

branch of the family in the degree, marking the stopping

place, is here given, beginning with the oldest branch, as

follows : John Laudis, of Manor township, called Manor

John ; Benjamin Landis, of East Lampeter township, called

big Benjamin ; Benjamin Landis, of Manheim township,

called rich Benjamin ; David Landis, of East Lampeter

township, called miller David ; Abraham Landis, of Lan-

caster township, occupying and owning the city mill farm;

Abraham Landis, of East Lampeter township, called old

road Abraham ; Jacob Landis, of the same township, called

gentleman Jacob ; Henry Landis, residing near New Hol-

land ; Benjamin Landis, of East Lampeter township, called

little Benjamin ; Daniel Landis, now living in Manheimtownship, near the village of Eden ; David Landis, called

fuller David ; and Henry N. Landis, residing upon the

original Landis homestead in East Lampeter township.

Benjamin Landis, the first born upon the soil, and oldest

son of the younger emigrant, moved to and settled in

Manheim township, in the year 1753, on a farm about

three miles from Lancaster city, near the Eeading road, and

near where the Landis valley Mennonite meeting-house nowstands. He had three sons—Benjamin, Henry, and John.

Benjamin, the oldest of these three sons, had also three sons

—John, Benjamin, and Jacob ; and these are the fifth gener-

ation. This John Landis resided in Manor township, andwas called Manor John, and was elected commissioner for

Lancaster county in 1838. Benjamin, the second of these,

lived on the old Manheim homestead, and died in 1822.

Jacob, the youngest, moved to the State of Ohio a few years

ago, where he is still supposed to live.

Henry, the second of the three, had five sons, viz : Benja-

min, Henry, John, Isaac and Jacob. Benjamin, the oldest,

called rich Benjamin, lived in Manheim township, near

Oregon, and died there some years ago, leaving a numerousand prosperous family. Henry, the second son, called drover

Henry, now resides in the same township. John, the third

son, called miller John, resided in Hempfield township,

where he died. Isaac, the fourth son, resided in Manheim26


township, and was noted for feeding fine cattle. Jacob, the

youngest, now resides in the same township, near the Landis

valley meeting-house. John, the third son of the three, had

also three sons, viz : John, Benjamin and Henry. John,

the oldest of these three, resided in the vicinity of Landis-

ville, and was known as swamp John. Benjamin, called big'

Benjamin, resided in Bast Lampeter township, on the horse-

shoe road. Henry, the third and youngest, resided in the

same township, on the long lane, and was known as swampHenry. These are the descendants of Benjamin, the oldest

son of the junior emigrant to the fifth generation.

Next in order come the descendants of Abraham Landis,

the second sou of Benjamin, the younger emigrant. This

Abraham had two sons, viz : Benjamin and John. Benja-

min, the older of these two, lived in East Lampeter town-

ship, and had four sons, viz : John, Abraham, Benjamin and

David. John, the oldest of these four, called farmer John,

lived in the same township, and was elected commissioner

for Lancaster county, in 'the year 1846; he was the first

president of the Lancaster County Bank, after it was

chartered as a regular banking institution—elected to that

position in the year 1841, and continued to fill the same with

honor to himself and advantage to the institution, until

February, 1867, a period of twenty-six years. He was

buried on the 7th day of February, 1867, in the graveyard

belonging to Mellinger's meeting-house, about four miles

east of Lancaster city, on the old Philadelphia turnpike road.

Abraham, the second of 'these four, lived and died in East

Lampeter township. Benjamin, the third of these four,

lived and died in the same township. David, the youngest

of the four, now resides in the same township, and is knownas miller David, and is at present a member of the boai'd of

directors for the poor of Lancaster county.

John Landis, (called Musser John), the second son of Abra-

ham, had three sons, viz : John, Abraham and Emamuel, all

of whom resided in East Lampeter township, except Abraham.

John, the oldest of these, died about fifteen years ago.

Abraham owns and occupies the farm near the city water

works, known as the city mill farm in Lancaster township.


And Emanuel resides near the Pennsylvania railroad bridge

on the Lampeter side of the Conestoga.

Next in order come the descendants of Jacob Landis, the

third son of the younger emigrant. This Jacob had two

sons—.John and Abraham. John, the older of these two,

called brick John, had eight sons—Jacob, John, Abraham,

Benjamin, Christian, Martin, David, and Daniel. Jacob, the

oldest, died in Bast Lampeter township near where Landis's

warehouse on the Pennsylvania railroad stands, probably

thirty years ago ; John lived and died in West Lampeter

township, on the Millport and Strasburg turnpike road

;

Abraham, called old road Abraham, resides on the old road

in East Lampeter, about four miles from Lancaster ; Benja-

min resides in Upper Leacock township, near Bareville

;

Christian lived in East Lampeter, and died there in 1871;

Martin resides in Upper Leacock, near Bareville ; David also

resides in the same township, a little south of Bareville

;

and Daniel resides in Elempfield township, near the village

of Petersburg. Abraham, the younger of the two sons of

Jacob, had five sons—Jacob, Abraham, Benjamin, John, and

Adam. Jacob, the oldest of these five, called gentleman

Jacob, resides in East Lampeter township, near the old road,

about four miles from Lancaster, and was at one time

director of the poor for the county. Abraham, the second

of these, resides on the old yard occupied by the original

emigrant, on the farm adjoining Jacob's, and Benjamin also

on the farm adjoining; John, the fourth of these, resides in

East Hempfield township, near the village of Petersburg, and

is a Mennonite minister of the Gospel; Adam, the youngest,

is unmarried, and lives with his brothers in East Lampeter.

We now come next to the descendants of Henry, the fourth

and youngest son of the younger emigrant; he had five sons,

viz : Benjamin, John, Henry, Peter, and Abraham. Benja-

min, the oldest of these five, had four sons, viz : Daniel,

Henry, Benjamin, and John; all of these were born and re-

sided part of their time about New Holland; the two older

ones died there some years ago ; the third one, Benjamin,

moved to Adams county, Pennsylvania, many years ago,

where he is still living; the youngest one, John, also moved


to Adams county, where he now resides, about five miles

east of Gettysburg. John, the second one of these five, had

two sons, viz : Benjamin and John. Benjamin, the older,

called little Benjamin, resided in East Lampeter, near Mil-

ler's store, where he died a few years ago ; John, the second

and younger of the two, died at the age of eighteen, at least

fifty years ago. Henry, the third one of the five, had four

sons, viz : Daniel, Jacob, Henry, and Isaac. Daniel, the

eldest of these four, resides in Manheim township, on the

New Holland turnpike road, about three miles from Lancas-

ter city; Henry, the second one, died some years ago un-

married, in Bast Lampeter township, where he lived; Isaac

now lives in the same township, near Landis's store ; and

Jacob died unmarried in the same neighborhood a few

years ago. Peter, the fourth one of these, had only one

son, whose name was David, and was known as fuller David,

residing in Upper Leacock township, near the village of

Monterey. Abraham, the last of the five and youngest son

of Henry, the youngest son of the junior emigrant, lived and

died upon what is part of the original Landis homestead, in

East Lampeter township. He died in 1861, at the age of

eighty-one years, and was the last connecting link between

the two generations. He was a Mennonite minister of the

Gospel, and a man much esteemed for his goodness as a citi-

zen, a neighbor and a Christian. He had five sons, viz

:

Henry N., Abraham, Jacob, John, and Benjamin. Henry

N. Landis, the oldest of these, now occupies and owns the

old homestead in East Lampeter township ; Abraham, the

second one, emigrated to the State of Illinois in 1849,

settled and now resides in Whiteside count}^, near Sterling;

Jacob also moved to the same State, and died there about

twelve years ago;John, the fourth of these five sons, also

moved to Illinois, and died there about fifteen years ago

;

Benjamin, the youngest of the five, moved to Franklin

county, Pennsylvania, and died there also about fifteen years

ago. These are the generations of this family of Landis's,

to the fifth degree from the senior propositus. In tracing

the pedigree, it appears that this family embraces all the

Landis's who are now living within eight or ten miles of


Lancaster city, except a very few. There are Landis's liv-

ing in this county, north of Ephrata, but they are not related

to these whose genealogy is herein given. In the third de-

gree, according to the manner of computation, there were

four Landis's ; in the fourth, twelfth, and in the fifth, forty-

seven ; in the sixth degree, taking the same ratio of increase,

one hundred and eighty ; and in the seventh degree, many of

whom belonging to the older branches of the family, are

now over twenty-one years old, there are certainly not less

than five hundred all in the male line. It is perfectly safe

to assume, that there are at this'time one thousand living de-

scendants, male and female, in Lancaster county, all sprung

from Benjamin Landis, junior, who started out a boy eigh-

teen years of age, just one hundred and fifty-three years ago.

The writer regrets very much that the name of the womanto whom this young man was married, cannot be ascertained.

The first emigrant, Benjamin Landis, was, as has been

stated, a Mennonite minister of the Gospel, and all his de-

scendants to the fifth generation adhered to the Mennonite

faith without an exception.

LANDIS, John, a native of Switzerland, emigrated to

America in the beginning of the eighteenth century, and

located in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He had five sons,

viz : Jacob, John, Martin, George and Samuel ; and two

daughters, Veronica and Barbara. John, one of the five sons,

was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, November 11th,

1720, and removed to Montgomery county, in the same State.

His son John, and grandson of the first emigrant, was born

August 16th, 1776, and emigrated to Lancaster county in

1797. He married a daughter of Michael Kline, the grand-

father of George M. Kline, esq., of this city. He was for

many years engaged in the mercantile profession.

LANDIS, Jesse, son of the last named John Landis, wasborn October 15th, 1821. He read law with Emanuel 0.

Eeigart, and was admitted to the bar in September, IS-i'B.

Being a very sedulous and attentive student, he has steadily

won his way in the profession, until he ranks at present

amongst the well-read attorneys of the Lancaster bar. In

1861 he was elected by the county commissioners solicitor

Obb BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

of the county, and held the same by annual reelection until

the year 1869. He has written, and is now preparing for

publication, a supplement to Linn's Analytical Index.

LANDIS, Samuel, a member of the Legislature in 1829

and 1830.

LANE, JoHX N., was a successful merchant of Lancaster

city, and the wealthiest of our deceased citizens.

LATTA, Rev. James, was pastor of the church at Chest-

nut Level, Lancaster county, and principal of an academy

for many years at the same- place. He was called to this

charge in 1770, with a salary of £100 Pennsylvania cur-

rency, which was never increased nor all paid. Eev. Latta

manifested a deep interest in the cause of American inde-

pendence, and on one occasion actually took his blanket and

knapsack and accompanied the soldiers on their campaign.

At another time he served for a short time in the army as

chaplain. In 1785 a movement was set on foot amongst

many congregations, upon the subject of procuring acts of

incorporation, and Rev. Latta favoring the proposal, had

the misfortune to alienate many of his flock from him. An-

other subject of alienation between himself and his congre-

gation, was his effort to introduce Watts' Psalmody in his

churches. In this, however, he failed; and the new hymnswere not accepted until after the death of all the old mem-bers who had originally formed the opposition. Rev. Latta

published a pamphlet of one hundred and eight pages

octavo, in defence of the new hymns, which passed through

four editions. The degree of D.D. was conferred upon him

by the University of Pennsylvania, about the close of the

last century. Dr. Latta died January 29th, 1801. His

widow, a lady of great piety and amiability, continued to

reside on the family farm, at Chestnut Level, until her death,

February 22d, 1810.

LAUMAN, LuDWiG, was born May 5th, 1725. He was

a merchant of Lancaster, and a man of influence about the

period of the American revolution. He was a very zealous

and active Whig, and ranked with Edward Shippen, George

.Ross, Jasper Yeates, Mathias Slough, and William Henry, in


his ardor for the promotion of the American cause. Hewas ejected a member of the Legislature of Pennsylvania

in 1776. He was an active and influential member of

Trinity Lutheran church of this city, and died March 22d,

1797.

LEBKICHER, David, elected Eegister in 18i2.

*LEECH, Feancis, emigrated to this county from Ireland,

about the year 1750. He was soon afterwards married to

Isabella, the young widow of Christopher Griffith, of Salis-

bury, and by his marriage acquired a large property. Hepurchased all the real estate about the Gap, and erected that

large hotel (known afterwards as the Henderson property,)

about the year 1760, in which a public house was kept for

nearly one hundred years. When the road was laid out

from the Schuylkill to Strasburg, under the administration

of Eichard Penn, in 1772, its course was defined to the public

house of Francis Leech, and thence to Strasburg.—Coi. Eec,

YoL.x., p. 218. His son, George Leech, also made manyimprovements about the Gap. The venerable ThomasLeech, also the very aged Anna and Elizabeth Leech, are

the living grandchildren of Francis Leech.

LEFEVRE, Joseph, a leading Democratic politician, and

member of Congress from 1811 till 1813. He was a citizen

of Strasburg township.

LEHMAN, Henry C, was elected a member of the Legis-


LEHMAN, John, was elected to the Legislature iu the

year 1836. .

LEHMAN, Samuel L., was elected Recorder in the year

1863.

LIBHART, John J., was born in York county, August

6th, 1806. He removed with his father to the borough of

Marietta when about six years of age, and was educated in

the local schools of Marietta and the borough of York.

When he was about fourteen years of age, Arthur Arm-strong came to Marietta and engaged in portrait painting.

An enthusiasm for the new avocation immediately seized

*Coutributed by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbury.


young Libhart, and lie took up the business and pursued it

with success for several years, executing a number of pieces

with great credit. After the death of Dr. Glatz, postmaster

of Marietta, he was appointed by James K. Polk to fill the

vacancy, a position which he held for two years. While he

was pursuing the occupation of artist, he took up the study

of natural science, such as mineralogy, ornithology and

zoology, and made considerable advancement in their study.

He made quite a collection of specimens in natural history,

especially in ornithology, which he donated some years

since to the Linntean society of Lancaster. Besides his

great taste for natural history, he has always possessed a

remarkable fondness for history. His predecessor in the

post-office, Dr. Glatz, having been engaged in the drug busi-

ness, upon his death his store was purchased by the subject of

our notice, and this business he has carried on up to this time.

He was born and raised a Democrat, his ancestors having

been strong advocates of the principles of Thomas Jefferson.

Upon the breaking out of the late rebellion, favoring a

vigorous prosecution of the war, he became identified in

sentiment with the Eepublican party, and has acted with it

from that time. In 1867 he was appointed an associate'

judge of the courts of Lancaster county, and in the succeed-

ing election was chosen to fill the same office for a period of

five years. He has filled all the borough offices of Marietta,

having been burgess, councilman and school director. In

the latter capacity he served for the period of sixteen years.

He was one of the earliest and staunchest advocates of the

free school system in Lancaster county. Judge Libhart is

an intelligent, liberal-minded, high-toned gentletaan, and .as

an oflicer of the court he is perfectly pure, honest and

upright.

LIGHT, Major John, ' was a native of the State of NewYork, but the greater portion of his life was spent in Lan-

'On August 17tb, 1798, the clerksliip of the Sun engine and hose

company was made a permanent ofiSce, and John Light was elected

to this position, who seiTed the same tiU April ITth, 1824. His grandson,

Dr. John L. Atlee, sr., was elected to the same position, and held it till

October 21st, 1854, when he resigned, and his sou, John L. Atlee, jr.,

was elected to the post filled by his great grandfather.


caster. He early entered the American service as a minute

man for the Jerseys, in 1775, and participated in the expedi-

tion that was made against the Tories on Long Island. Hewas in the division that invaded Canada, and participated in

the battle of Three Eivers. He was a sharer in the priva-

tions at the river Sorel, and on the retreat from Canada to

Ticonderoga. In the battle of Lake Champlain he was

present, and was among those who defended Ticonderoga and

other places, until the retirement of the British army to

winter quarters. Upon his return home he immediately

reenlisted, and was with Washington in his retreat through

New Jersey, and fought in the battle of Princeton. Heacted as guide to Gen. Washington, and to several of the

officers who commanded scouting parties detached from

Gen. Putnam's command, when the British possessed Bruns-

wick; and he was among the first of those who entered that

place after its evacuation by the enemy. He was a partici-

pant in the battle of Somerset Court House, and several

other skirmishes about this time. He was in the battle of

Monmouth Court House, and also at Germantown. He was

one of the light dragoons who guarded Burgoyne's prisoners

from New Jersey to the Potomac. In one service and

another he acted with the American army, and was present

when Lord Cornwallis surrendered his forces at Yorktown.

After the revolution he kept tavern in East King street for

some years, ceasing this business in 1803. He was inspector

of the 1st brigade of Lancaster county militia in 1800. In

1806 he was appointed a justice of the peace. He was a

leading Democratic politician of his day, and a man of great

influence. ' In 1818 he was appointed clerk of the orphans'

court, of the quarter sessions, and of the oyer and terminer.

He was appointed in the room of John Hoff, deceased. Hereturned again to New York State, where he died about the

year 183-i.

LIGHTNEE, Joel, a member of the Legislature in the

years 1812, 1813, 1815, 1816, and 1817.

LIGHTNEE, John, elected a member of the Legislature

in 1819, 1S21. He was appointed Clerk of the Quarter

Sessions in 1836.


LIGHTNEE, Nathaxiel F., elected a member of tlie

Legislature in 1824 and 1828. He was afterwards Mayor

of Lancaster.

LINDLEY, Thomas, a member of the Legislature in

1739, 1740, 1741, 1742, and 1743.

LINVILLE, Bexjamix, elected a member of tbe Legis-

lature in 1829 and 1830.

^LIVINGSTON, John B., was born in the year 1821, in

Salisbury township, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. His

father, John LiN'ingston, was a farmer of considerable intel-

ligence, who held the office of justice of the peace. His son,

the subject of this sketch, was sent to school at the age of

five years, and soon learned to read well for his age. Hebecame so fond of books that they became his constant com-

panions. At the age of seven he was remarkable for his

accuracy in spelling. He remained for weeks together at

the head of a large class, principally composed of much older

pupils. His father being physically disabled by lameness

for severe manual labor, and he being the oldest son, his

services on the farm were so valuable that his time for at-

tending school was limited to those months in the winter

when the duties on the farm were not so exacting. He, how-

ever, acquired the habit of improving every leisure momentduring the more busy season of the year ; and though the

work on the farm kept him from school, it did not keep him

from his books. His proficiency became so conspicuous,

that in 1842 the directors of the common schools, in the dis-

trict in which he resided, solicited him to engage in teaching

school during the winter months. He, however, considered

it his duty to consult the wisKes of his father, before he con-

sented to accept their proposition. As the younger brothers

had now grown up and become capable of working the farm,

the father consented, and young Livingston was duly in-

stalled into the office of school teacher, which employment

he continued to follow during the winter months, for four or

five sessions. His time during the vacations being spent in

working on his father's farm and teaching private school.

^Contributed by John B. Good, esq.


About the year 1845 he began to think of studying a pro-

fession ;and it is said for a time his' inclination tended to-

wards medicine, and that considerations of the great respon-

sibilities devolving on the physician, when the fate of pre-

cious lives depend on his skill, deterred him from choosing

that department as his place of activity. He concluded that

a slip in the practice of the law is a less serious calamity

than a blunder in medicine or surgerj', in proportion as a

man's pocket is more easily repaired than his life or limbs.

He therefore resolved to study law. In pursuance of this

resolution, he wrote to Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, inquiring

whether he had room for a student, and if so, what his terms

were. In due time the answer came in the Old Commoner's

laconic style: "Have room. Terms, $200. Some pay,

some don't." On the 26th of January, 18-46, the young

teacher left his parental roof, and the scenes of his boyhood

and youth, for the city of Lancaster, to enter upon the

stormy mazes of the law. With Blackstone he may have

said

:

Lost to the fields, and torn from you,

Farewell, a long, a last adieu !

Me, wrangling courts and stvibljorn law,'

To smoke, and crowds, and city draw.

He applied himself earnestly to his studies, and on the day

on which the two years appointed by the rules of Court for

initiatory studies expired, he was admitted to the bar of

Lancaster county, of which he was destined to become an

ornament. He soon gave evidence of a useful career. His

industry and wonderful capacity for labor did not permit

him to be idle a minute. No one ever saw him idling away

his time either on the street or in the office. He believed

that no one willing to work need fail, and he acted in ac-

cordance with this principle. It is probable that these traits

of character, and the facility and taste displayed in his pen-

manship, attracted the attention of N. Ellmaker, esq., into

whose office he moved in 1851, and where he remained ac-

tively assisting in the extensive practice in the orphans'

court and general law practice in that office up to the time

of his election to the office of District Attorney in the fall of

1862.


His election to this public position, and the satisfactory

manner in which he performed its duties, caused him to bemore extensively and favorably known throughout the com-

munity, and from this time his practice commenced t,o

rapidly increase. His mind being familiar with the general

practice in the several Courts, and his pen unusually ready,

he was able to perform an incredible amount of labor. His

charges always moderate, his manners affable and pleasant,

his honesty above suspicion, his office was constantly crowded

with clients. Under these circumstances, it is not strange

that he did not consider the promotion from the bar to the

bench a desirable change. When, however, in the fall of

1871, a vacancy was about to take place in the of&ce of Pres-

ident Judge of the second judicial district of Pennsylvania,

composed of Lancaster county, the people with unusual

unanimity elected him to that ofB.ce. On December 4th,

1871, he assumed its duties, and has since continued in that

position.

LONG, Henry G., was born in Lancaster, August 23d,

1804. His paternal grandfather, Nicholas Long, a native of

Zweibrucken, in Bavaria, emigrated to America, and settled

in Lancaster in 1754. Here he married, and reared in com-

fort a large family. He rose to be a man of standing and

influence in the community, and often was a juror in the

trial of causes. Jacob Long, the father of the subject of our

notice, became a successful merchant and accumulated an

indejjendent fortune. He was a sergeant in the American

revolution, and saw service therein during a long period of

the struggle. He came near being in the battle of Brandy-

wine, arriving on the spot with his company just as the

battle was over. He died in December, 1842, in the 82d

year of his age. The subject of our notice received his

education in the schools of Lancaster. When but seventeen

years of age he was appointed clerk in the prothonotary's

of&ce, undtr Dr. F. A. Muhlenberg, and owing to the pro-

fessional engagements of the latter he was obliged to perform

most of the duties of the office. This position he retained

for three years. He then, in 1824, began the study of law,

in the office of George B. Porter, esq., then the leading


lawyer at the bar, and was admitted to the full practice of

the profession in 1827. He immediately opened an office

and begun the practice of law, and was not long in establish-

ing himself fairly in the profession.

When he left the Prothouotary's office, it was the design

of his father that he should succeed him in the mercantile

business, and it was only at the suggestion of Mr. Porter

that he began the reading of law. When he commenced its

study it was rather that he might be profitably employed

than with the design of entering the profession. After read-

ing a short time, however, he acquired a fondness for it, and

so continued until he was prepared for admission to the bar.

Shortly after coming to the bar, he was chosen by the com-

missioners county solicitor, a position to which he was

successively re-chosen and held the same for twenty years.

Soon after his admission to the bar, he became active in

politics, and being very decided in his political views, he was

elected in 1836 a member of the Eeform Convention, being

one of the youngest men of that body. He was elected in

the fall of 1838 to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, and was

a member of that body during the buckshot war, a period

of great excitement in Pennsylvania. After serving this

session, he again resumed the duties of the profession, to

which he now steadily gave his attention until 1851, whenhe was nominated and elected President Judge of the court

of common pleas of Lancaster county. His nomination

was at this time entirely unsolicited. Learning that his

name would be used, he prepared a letter of declination and

handed the same to Abraham Cassel, a member of the con-

vention, arrd authorized him to have his name withdrawn.

So fully satisfied, however, was Mr. Cassel, and with him the

convention of his eminent fitness for this position, that the

letter of declination was not presented, and he was unani-

mously nominated. Finding himself thus the unanimous

choice of his party for this high office, he did not feel at

liberty to decline an election, and he therefore deferred to

the wishes of his friends, and as a consequence was triumph-

antly elected. The manner in which he discharged the

duties of this office gave entire satisfaction.


Upon the expiration of his ten years term of service as

Judge, making no effort to secure a re-nomination for the

same, he was defeated by a majority of five in the conven-

tion of his party, held in 1861, and Alex. Hood was the suc-

cessful nominee. This, however, was a period when party

lines greatly changed, consequent upon the rebellion then

raging, and the result was the holding of a new convention

by those of the Eepublicau party dissatisfied with the regu-

lar nominations, and the Democrats united with them. This

alliance, calling itself the Peoples" party, placed Henry G. Longin nomination for the same position he then held, and for

which he had been defeated in the regular Republican conven-

tion. His great popularity secured his election, and he has

again completed his second term.

Henry G. Long was always a conservative in his opinions,

and this trait of his character was exemplified during the

period of the buckshot war. In conversation with some

of his party friends, he intimated his misgivings as to the

propriety of the conduct of certain extreme leaders of

his party;and his remarks having been carried to the ears

of Governor Eitner, gave the latter much offence. A party

friend afterwards remarked to Mr. Long, that the Governor

was astonished that a man of his party, and especially one

from Lancaster county, should have given utterance to ex-

pressions as he had done. . Mr. Long, far from being daunted,

and true to his convictions, boldly remarked, that what he " had

expressed, he believed, and he should not hesitate to give ex-

pression to the same sentiments upon any and every occasion."

As a Judge, Henry G. Long was fair and impartial, and

his honesty has never been questioned. He soiight to de-

cide causes purely upon their merits ; and he bore with his

retirement the universal esteem of the bar and community.

As a citizen, he is kind, courteous and obliging, and he will

long be remembered for his bland and amiable manners.

In him it may truly be said, that he will, during the re-

mainder of his days, enjoy otmra cum dignitate.

LONG, John, elected a member of the Legislature in 1829

and 1830. In 18i3o he was elected one of the board of

county commisssoners.


LOVETT, John, elected a member of the Legislature in

1831.

*LOWEEY, Col. Alexanuek, was born in the north of

Ireland, in December, 1723, and came to America with his

father, Lazarus Lowery, in 1729, who settled in Donegal

township, Lancaster county, and was licensed by the Court

in 1730 to sell liquor by the small; and by the Governor, as

an Indian trader, which latter occupation he pursued for a

number of years thereafter. His sons, John and Daniel

Lowery, were also Indian traders. Having made frequent

trips to the far west to trade with the Indians, Alexander

probably accompanied them. He became a great favorite

with the Indians, and exercised an influence over them which

he retained duiing his life.

About the year 1748 he formed a partnership with

Joseph Simons, of Lancaster, in the fur trading business,

which lasted forty years. The fur traders usually madeannual trips to the Allegheny and Mississippi rivers, in con-

voys, for their mutual protection. The Indians knew about

the time they were expected, and brought their peltries from

their hunting grounds farther West, to certain points, where

they exchanged them for blankets, &c. Col. Lowery Avas

a powerful man, and capable of enduring any amount of

fatigue. . He was considered one of the fleetest " Indian run-

ners," and was frequently selected by the Government to

collect the chiefs of the various Indian tribes at Detroit and

other places, to make treaties. The only subsistence he was

able to obtain for weeks at a time, was that procured by his

trusty rifle. He was taken with inflammatory rheumatism

while amongst the Indians along the banks of the Allegheny

river, and was carried to a log cabin, situate in a lonely dell,

where he was nursed by an aged squaw for several days,

when an Indian doctor came along and carried him to the

river, where a hole was made in the ice—for it was mid-

winter—and ducked him in the river. The shock was so

great to his system, that he was cured instantly, and never

afterwards had a return of it. Col. Lowery accumulated

money rapidly, and about the year 1755 commenced purchas-

*Contribvited by Samuel Evans, esq., Columbia.


ing large tracts of land. In 1757 he purchased of Joseph

Pugh, sheriff, four hundred acres, sold as the property of his

father, Lazarus Lowery, (deceased). In this purchase was

included the farm lately sold by James B. Clark to Cameron,

upon which the Lowerys resided from 1740 to 1758 or '59.

In 1759 he purchased of sheriff Smith, four hundred acres,

sold as the property of Daniel Lowery, his brother. (Duffy's

park farm is a part of this place.) He removed to it in

1760, and lived in a log house—which stood in the meadowsouth of the barn—a few years. About the year 1762 he

commenced to build the present stone mansion. His partner,

Joseph Simons, brought carpenters from Lancaster and con-

ducted its erection. Col. Lowery went amongst the Indians,

and did not return until the building was completed. In

1763, at the time of the massacre at Bloody Eun, Col.

Lowery was sent back to Fort Eays, (Bedford,) in the even-

ing, to get something left there by the traders. In the

night the Indians murdered many of the traders and their

men, (amongst whom was Daniel Lowery, his brother,) and

destroyed an immense amount of goods. When he returned,

about daylight, he discovered the terrible havoc made bythe Indians, who attempted to capture him. He ran for the

timber and was hunted for several days amongst the moun-

tains; they finally discovered him when near the river, on

the York county side of where Vinegar's Ferry now is, and

made chase. He swam the river and made good his escape.

This was the only instance in which he was molested by the

Indians. He often remarked, that they were so frenzied that

they knew not friend from foe.

In 1770 he purchased of sheriff Stone, eight hundred

acres, and the ground rents in Maytown, and a tannery adjoin-

ing, sold as the property of Jacob Downer. This land ran

from Maytown to the river, and was afterwards sold to Alex-

ander Boggs, Longenecker, and others. In 1774, whenhostilities broke out with the mother country. Col. Loweryat once became very active on the side of the colonies. In

July, 1774, he was placed on a committee of correspondence,

to consult with other committees of conference in the

province, who met in Philadelphia, July 15th, 1774. De-


cember loth, 1774, he was appointed on a committee to

watch the suspected persons, and prevent, if possible, the

purchase and use of tea. Mrs. Lowery, being a member of

the Church of England, sometimes induced the teamsters

when they went to Philadelphia, to procure her some tea.

When Col. Lowery discovered it, he invariably destroyed it.

On another occasion, when he was from home, she procured

a " Coat of Arms," and placed it upon his carriage; when he

returned he destroyed it, and every other emblem of aris-

tocracy. He was elected a member of Assembly in 1775,

and served on many important committees. He was also

elected colonel of the Lancaster county militia, 3d battalion;

and in 1776 a member of the Assembly, and a member of

the convention which framed the first Constitution of Penn-

sylvania. In 1777 he was appointed, with others, by the war

office, to supply the army with blankets, the army being en-

tirely destitute of clothing during the winter of that year.

He commanded the Lancaster county militia at the buule of

Brandy wine. He was elected a member of Assembly in

1778-80, and a member of the Senate to fill an unexpired

term of one who died. After the Eevolutionary war, Col.

Lowery retired to his farm at Marietta. August 29th, 1791,

Gov. Thomas Mifilin commissioned him a justice of the

peace for the townships of Donegal, Mount Joy and Rapho.

Maytown being a lively place at that time, fights were a

common occurrence. The parties often came to Col. Tjowery

to settle their disputes. His manner of dealing with themsuited the times, and saved the county unnecessary expense.

He usually placed the combatants upon the green sward in

front of his house and made them fight it out, he standing

by to see that there Avas fair play and no gouging. Some-

times he turned in and whipped both of the parties. This

novel and summarjr way of dealing out justice, put a stop to

the quarreling, and especially their complaints before Col.

Lowery. Daniel Clark, the father of Myra Gain-es, widow of

the late General Gaines, was a wagon-boy of Col. Lowery's,

and usually accompanied him on his western trips amongst

the Indians. After attaining his majority, he went down the

Mississippi river and settled at New Orleans. It is said,

27


when trading with the Indians, in the absence of weights,

that Col. Lowery used his hand, which weighed two pounds,

and his foot, which weighed four pounds.

About the close of the Revolutionary war James Cun-

ningham, of Lancaster city, (who was lieutenant colonel in

Col. Lowery's battalion, and served many years in the Legis-

lature with him, and was a companion in his western trips,)

died. An express was sent to Col. Lowery, notifying him of

the sad event. He hastened to Lancaster, and arrived there

just as the remains of his departed friend was about to be

placed in the grave. The coffin was opened to permit the

friend of his life to gaze once more upon his features. Headvanced with tears in his eyes, and grasped the hand of the

corpse, and exclaimed, "honest Jimmy Cunningham, that

never told a lie, or did a dishonest or mean action, has gone

to his fathers." It has been related by those who were at

this funeral and witnessed this, that it was a most afl'ecting

scene, and drew tears from all present. Col. Lowery was a

bluif man, with a commanding voice. He spoke as he

thought. When in conversation with a friend, and about

to enter the church at Donegal, of which he was a member,

he walked in, continuing the conversation, and in the same

tone of voice, which was unusually loud, until he had

finished what he had to say. When Congress sat in York,

Anderson's ferry, now Msprietta, was the principal crossing

along the river. Often boats were prevented from crossing

by reason of the floating ice. Col. Lowery's house during

these occasions was filled with officers and members of Con-

gress, who were on their way to York. General Gates and

lady, with some staff officers, were thus delayed and invited

by Col. Lowery to his home. He placed them in the hall

and proceeded to the kitchen, to enquire of Mrs. Lowery

whether she could entertain them. She at once declared

she could not think of it—when her husband told her

to hush, that the party was at his heels and would hear

her if she made much noise. Alex. Lowery was married

in 1752, to Miss Mary Walters, by whom he had six

living children. In 1772 he married Ann Alricks, widow

of Hermanns Alricks, who was prothonotary, register,


recorder, clerk of the court, and justice of the peace for

Cumberland , county, and grandmother of Herman and

Hamilton Alricks, esqs., of Harrisburg. When he married

her, he had been a widower but six months, and she a widow

but ten months. He promised to say nothing about the

affair, but when they arrived in the vicinity of Maytown,

several hundred persons turned out in all sorts of convey-

ances, and lined the public road for several miles lo receive

them, to the mortification of his bride. The colonel, being

fond of a joke, evidently sent word in advance of his coming.

She was a sister of Francis West, the grandfather of chief

justice Gibson. Congress having made the continental

money a legal tender. Col. Lowery sold the Clark farm to

James Anderson, (who sold to Brice Clark,) and most of the

Downer lands for that kind of money. When absent from

home, James Polk, uncle of the late President Polk, a resident

of Sherman's valley, Cumberland county, Pa., came and offered

to pay a judgment note, held by Col. Lowery against him,

in continental money. Mrs. Lowery, who was a spirited

woman, refused to take the money, when Polk deliberately

put his horse in the stable and declared his intention of

staying until the colonel came home. He actually remained

several days, and badgered and annoyed Mrs. Lowery so

much, that she took the money, and bade him clear out and

never show his face there again. Frances Evans was the

only child by this marriage; she married Samuel Evans, a'

member of the Legislature from Chester county. John

Evans, his ancestor, a native of Wales, landed in Philadel-

phia in 1690, with a family consisting of seven persons, viz:

his father, mother, wife and daughter, brother aud sister.

In the spring of 1696 John Evans purchased a tract of land

in the State of Delaware, called the " Welsh tract." In 17J5

he purchased four hundred acres on the white clay creek, in

Chester county. Pa., now owned by Esquire Niven. In 1718

John Evans, jr., married Reynold Howell, a native of Wales,

who came to this country the same year. They left a family

of six children, all of whom died young, except Evan, George

and Peter. Evan was the father of Samuel Evans; Evanhad three sons and three daughters. George served as a


sergeant in Bailey's regiment during the Eevolutionary war,

and was wounded at New York, by a bayonet which wasthrust through his body ; he lived many years thereafter.

His daughter married Johnson, the Napoleon of the turf in

this country. The first fee received by the late Judge

Yeates, was from Col. Lowery. He had a wonderful memory,

and was frequently called upon in different parts of the State

to settle disputes about the title of lands. A few years

before his death, he and Joseph Simons selected referees, one

of whom was the late Adam Eeigart, to settle the partner-

ship affairs, which ran through more than forty years.

Strange as it may appear, there was not a solitary record or

scrap of paper to show the transactions between them, which

must have amounted to many thousand pounds. Colonel

Lowery would call Mr. Simons' attention to an amount of

money paid him on a certain log, perhaps thirty or forty

years before, when Simons would give his assent thereto,

and in return remind Col. Lowery that he paid him a certain

sum of money at a certain spring many years before, and

thus these honest men recapitulated circumstances which

covered forty years of time, without one word of dispute,

and settled up their affairs. Mr. Reigart often remarked,

that he never saw or heard of such a settlement.

Col. Lowery was married a third time to Saiah Cochrane, a

widow, who lived near York Springs, in 1793. Samuel

Eddie wrote the marriage contract. Col. L. had been on a.

visit to the Gibsons, in Sherman's valley. . On his way homehe stopped at York Springs; some of his friends, whom he

met there, intimated to him that there was a spry widow,

named Cochrane, at the springs, for whom he had better " set

his cap." He hastened home and returned with his carriage,

and at once proposed to the widow to marry; promptly she

responded that she would. While crossing the mountain, on

his way home, she manifested great fears lest the carriage

would be overturned, and intimated that she would rather

walk. The Colonel told Sammy, her son, who was driving, to

stop and let his mammy out ; he drove on and halted at the foot

of the mountain, and remained there until his wife came up.

She was a large woman, and sufi'ered very much; she car-


ried her shoes in her hand ; she never thereafter mani-

fested her fears by expressing a desire to walk. It turned

out that a trick had been played upon the old man, who was

nearly seventy years of age. This Mrs. Cochrane was not

the widow of that name who was first at the springs, but a

very inferior woman. When he discovered the trick which

had been played upon him, he built the house, (afterwards

owned by Duffy), and placed her there, and never after-

wards lived with her. Her sons, who were sporting men,

robbed the old man of many hundred pounds, which they

squandered at the races, &c. He died January 31st, 1805,

leaving a large landed estate in different parts of the State.

Col. Lowery was in the habit of saying that James Wilson,

a member from Pennsylvania, of the convention which

framed the Constitution, was the author of it. He knew the

persons engaged in the murder of the Conestoga Indians, at

Lancaster, and told his daughter, Mrs. Evans, that many of

those engaged in it died a violent death.

M.

MACKE Y, Jajies, was elected a member of the Legislature


MAESTELLER, Philip, a member of the Legislature in

1776. He was also a delegate in 1776 to the convention

which adopted the first State Constitution.

MARTIN, B. F., elected a member in the Legislature in

1851.

MARTIN, David M., elected Clerk of Quarter Sessions

in 18-18.

MARTIN, Geoege, elected Sheriff of Lancaster county in

1854.

MARTIN, Hugh, was a farmer of Drumore township,

and was elected to the Legislature on the Federal ticket in

1816 and 1817. His brother, Samuel Martin, was a clergy-

man, who had received his education at the Rev. Mr. Latta's


academy, at Chestnut Level. He ministered at the Presby-

terian church, at Chanceford, in York county. He was a

man of good ability and ripe scholarship.

*MARTIN, Hon. Peter, was born in January, 1805, in that

part of Elizabeth township which, since its division, is called

Clay township, Lancaster county. Pa. He was of Swiss de-

scent. His grandfather, John, or Johannes Martin, immi-

grated from Switzerland, and settled about two miles from

"Woodstock, Shenandoah county, Va. Here his father, Peter

Martin, sr., was born, and resided until the Indians becamevery troublesome and rendered the residence of white settlers

utterly unsafe. The subject of this sketch frequently listened

to the relation of his parents concerning nightly surprises,

habitations in flames, murdered husbands and fathers, and

women and children hiding in grain fields, seeking safety

from the murderous savages. These dangers induced his

grandfather to remove to a place more remote from the

Indian frontier. He chose the quiet and peaceful scenes of

old Ephrata, Lancaster county, Pa. Here, after the grand-

father's death, Peter Martin, sr., the father of the subject of

our sketch resided for a number of years, following the

business of a shoemaker and country merchant. He was

appointed a justice of the peace by Governor Findlaj', and

afterward moved to Elizabeth township, Lancaster county,

where he acted as ju.--tice of the peace, and followed the

business of a surveyor and conveyancer, and also kept a

country store.

Here his son, Peter Martin, jr., was born. Concerning his

early years little is known. He received such education as

the schools of his time and neighborhood afforded. It is

well known that the facilities for obtaining a good commonschool education were, at that time, far inferior to what they

now are. He assisted his father in his store, and also in his

business as a surveyor and conveyancer. His father's in-

structions and training, in a great measure, supplied the want

of early education. He acquired the facility of handling his

pen rapidly, and of drawing an article of writing with care and

skill. He was frequently heard to talk of his youthful es-

*Contributed by J. B. Good, esq.


ploit of drawiBg an executor's deed for his father, without a

blot or flaw on its face. The achievement was considered

by him as a great triumph, on which his memory in after

years delighted to dwell.

As his father advanced in years, the weight of business

gradually shifted on his son's shoulders. The Governor

appointed the son a justice of the peace, in the room and

stead of his father, whose mantle thus fell on worthy shoul-

ders. To the new incumbent the ordinary business of a

magistrate's of&ce had no attractions. In fact, he scarcely

transacted any criminal business at all. This resulted partly

from the moral condition of the community around him, and

partly because his time was occupied with business more

congenial to his taste. In his extensive practice as a sur-

veyor and scrivener, he was constantly consulted in regard

to the many legal questions which continually arise in the

course of its pursuit. He was the friend and guide of execu-

tors, administrators, guardians and trustees of every kind.

His mind became familiar with the statutes relating to these

subjects, and with the decisions of the courts made under

them. Whenever his advice was desired, he was indefati-

gable in examining the point in question in order to reach a

correct conclusion. Although he never pursued a regular

course of legal study, yet such was his industry and natural

acumen, added in later years to his extensive experience,

that his opinion was generally entitled to a great deal of

respect. This was more especially the case in that branch

of the law relating to the practice in the orphans' court and

the settlement of estates of decedents. Every change in the

acts of Assembly, or a new ruling of court, was watched byhim with an eagle eye, as he took a laudable pride in keep-

ing up with the times, and having his mind amply stored

with useful knowledge. It has been objected to his methodof drawing instruments of writing, that he was unnecessarily

prolix, and more especially in drafting wills, too circum-

stantial in detail. His own apology for this was, that if youconfine yourself strictly to the truth, yOu cannot say too

much, and that it is better to be tedious than ambiguous.

In the latter years of his life he frequently declared, that he


knew of no instance in which a law suit originated out of any

ambisuous or uncertain directions contained in a last will

drawn by him.

He held his commission as a justice of the peace till the

amended constitution came in force, under whose provisions

he was twice reelected, although the party with which he

acted was in a minority in the district where he resided. In

1850; however, he declined a reelection, and he never after-

wards held a magistrate's commission. He had early identi-

fied himself with the Democratic party, and always claimed

that, however party names and circumstances had changed,

he still remained faithful to his old political principles, and

that he never was or had been anything but a genuine Jack-

son Democrat. In the local politics of Lancaster county he

soon succeeded in obtaining a very prominent position, which

he maintained for a long time. He, at several times, was

the Democratic candidate for Congress, but on account of

his party being in a hopeless minority in the county, always

failed of an election. In the fall of 1843 he ran the la<t

time for Congress on the Democratic ticket. The late Jere-

miah Brown was the Whig candidate, and the Hon. A. E.

Eoberts the Anti-masonic standard-bearer Mr. Brown was

elected in this triangular contest. Upon the inauguration of

the American, or Know-nothing movement, he identified

himself with that party, and was their candidate for pro-

thonotary in the year 1854, when Joseph Bowman, the Whigcandidate, was elected, B. F. Holl having been the Demo-

cratic candidate for the same office.

Mr. Martin always was a friend of the late Col. Reah

Frazer, familiarly known as the " Democratic War Horse."

When the anti-Lecornpton or Kansas troubles commenced,

which culminated in the organization of the Republican

party, it was natural that he should cast his lot with them,

and oppose the election of Buchanan to the Presidency in

1856. In this step, those of his friends who knew him best,

believed he acted conscientiously and from principle, how-

ever his notions rfiay have been impugned by his old friends,

•who.se party he left, or by his political enemies, with whomhe now afl&liated. The Republican county convention,

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. .385

which met at Lancaster in the fall of 1857, nominated him as

their candidate for the of6.ce of prothonotary. It may easily

be imagined that this action of the convention was not

approved by a great number of the old line Whigs, with

whom Mr. Martin had fought so many political battles. The

consequence was, that William Carpenter, one of their num-

ber, received and accepted the Democratic nomination for

the same ofiice. A very spirited and somewhat acrimonious

canvass ensued, and when the election was over and the

votes counted, Mr. Carpenter was returned as having a small

majority. As usual, each party accused the other of fraud.

The election was contested, and the Court, after a patient

investigation, decided that Mr. Carpenter was elected by a

majority of ten votes.

To most men such a series of political defeats would have

proved so disastrous that their prospects would have been

irretrievably ruined. But such was not the case with Mr.

Martin. He himself attributed his recuperative powers to

the fact that he constantly retained the esteem and support

of his neighbors, and never committed any act by which he

forfeited their confidence and friendship. He understood

the local politics of his county as well, perhaps, as any other

man living at that time. His policy was to concentrate

several of his neighboring districts, so that their weight and

influence should go together. His next step was to seek

alliances with other candidates in different parts of the county

who controlled similar powers, thus efl'ecting what he was

accustomed to call " a concentration of strength." The prac-

tical result of these tactics was, that Peter Martin and his

friends were all but irresistible in county conventions.

The most diiEcult part of this, as of many other programmes,

was to begin right—that is, to have the votes and influence

of your neighbors ; thus illustrating the wisdom of one of

Mr. Martin's favorite maxims, that to a politician it was im-

portant, above all other things, to be " right with his neigh-

bors at home.

From what has been said, it may be inferred that he had

not much appaient trouble in obtaining his nomination for

the office of prothonotary by the Eepublican county con-


vention of 1860 ; but there were still some of his party whoobjected to his nomination, and when his name was an-

nounced as the successful candidate in the convention, it

induced the Democrats to nominate Mr. Gerardus Clarkson,

who had previously always been regarded as a Republican,

as their candidate for the same office, hoping that the result

of the election held three years before might again be real-

ized. In these expectations, however, Mr. Clarkson and his

friends were disappointed, and Mr. Martin was elected by a

large majority. He served the office of prothonotary for

the term of three years, to the satisfaction , of his constitu-

ents and with honor to himself. After its close he retired

to his home at Lincoln, where he remained in private life

until the fall of 1866, when he was elected as.ôciate judge of

the several courts of the county of Lancaster. This posi-

tion he held at the time of his death, which occurred rather

suddenly, on the 16th of August, 1867, at his home, having

been sick only for a few days previous to his death. In

person Mr. Martin was of medium height, inclining to corpu-

lency. He had fine eyes, beaming with intelligence. Hewore his hair short, which in his later years was entirely

white. His face and chin were smoothly shaved. Though

his manners were simple and unaffected, there was a certain

native dignity in his bearing which at once impressed the

beholder that he was a person of more than ordinary force

of character.

MATHIOT, John, was elected sheriff of Lancaster

county in the year 1818. He was an alderman of Lancas-

ter and carried on the business of a scrivener. He was

elected in 1831, by city councils, Mayor of the city of Lan-

caster, and eleven times reelected. He died January 22d,

1843, in the 58th year of his age.

MAXWELL, Hugh, was born in Ireland, December 7th,

1777. When quite a youth he came to Philadelphia, and at

the age of nineteen he entered in partnership in the book

publishing business with Matthew Carey, and with him pub-

lished one of the first literary magazines in the city of

brotherly love. He afterwards edited the Port-Folio, a

magazine of some repute in its day. Whilst in the book


publishing business, he cast his own type and made his ownwood-cuts. Having met with severe losses in the financial

crisis that succeeded the war of 1812-14, he for a time

abandoned the editorial career and followed agricultural pur-

suits- His active temperament, however, soon introduced

him into other editorial enterprises. In 1817 he removed

to Lancaster and established the Lancaster Gazette, which he

conducted with decided ability for several years. He next

purchased the Lancaster Journal, one of the oldest Demo-

cratic papers of Pennsylvania, and this he published up to

1839. As a citizen, he ever ranked amongst the most active

and enterprising in all projects looking towards the estab-

lishment and promotion of public improvements. He was one

of the most active members of the company organized in

1820 for the improvement of the Conestoga navigation; and

he it was who called the first meeting at Columbia, which

discussed the project of uniting that place and Philadelphia bya railroad. He was gratified to live to see this enterprise com-

pleted in spite of much opposition and ridicule. The " Me-

chanics' Literary Association" of Lancaster, of which he was

the first president, greatly owed its foundation to his spirit

and enterprise. Hugh Maxwell was a man of considerable

mechanical ingenuity, and among his inventions the

"printer's roller," patented in 1817, was a fruit of his genius.

He drew such attention to the cause of boiler explosions as

elicited great praise in his day. With Wm. White, ex-sheriff

of Lancaster, he discovered the Lykens Valley and Short

Mountain coal fields, and shipped the first coal to market from

those mines. As editor of a newspaper, Mr. Maxwell had few

superiors in his day. He was a vigorous writer, and could

pen an editorial of great power, and withal, couched in

smooth and graceful language. He was a bold and inde-

pendent thinker and fearless leader in public affairs. Hedied November 1st, 1860.

MAXWELL, Robert, was a citizen of Drumore town-

ship, and died November 6th, 1819, in the 80th year of his

age. He was elected county commissioner in the year 1798.

He was elected to the Legislature of Pennsylvania in 1806,

1807, 1808, 180y, 1812 and 1813.

dOO BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

MAY, Davip, elected Clerk of the Orphans' Court in 1848.

MAYEE, Christian, was elected State Senator in 1804,

and reelected to the same position in 1808.

MAYER, G-EORGE, a merchant of Lancaster, and brother

of Dr. Mayer. He was possessed of a fine memory, and

when a member of the Legislature in 1835, he took quite an

active part in legislative proceedings. Abraham Kauffman,

who was cotemporary with him in the Legislature, speaking

of him said: "I once heard one of the canal commissioners

remark of him after he had given some testimony before the

House : what a mind and memory Colonel Mayer possesses

;

h-is language is fit for the press just as he speaks from recol-

lection." He died September 9th, 1862, in the 82nd year of

his age.

MAYER. Ret. Dr. Louis, an able divine, was born in

the city of Lancaster, March 26th, 1783. His father was

a gentleman of liberal culture. After he had made such

proficiency in education as boys of his grade usually

obtained, he resolved upon business, and made the experi-

ment in Fredericktown, Maryland ; but having no aptitude

for secular pursuits this result was not flattering. About

this time bis mind became aroused as to spiritual affairs, and

he seemed to recognize in his internal feelings a call to the

ministerial career, for which he cherished a peculiar fond-

ness. He now entered upon the preparatory studies neces-

sary as a preparation for this field of service. His mind

being formed of solid material, he, made rapid progress in

his classical and theological studies, and he was licensed to

preach in the year 1807, by the Reformed Synod of Penn-

sylvania. In 1808 he accepted a call from the Shepherds-

town charge, including Maitinsburg and Smithfield congre-

gations. Mere he labored with great zeal and efficiency for

twelve years. Whilst serving these congreg .tions several

efforts were made to obtain his services, but without success.

In 1821 he was induced to accept a call from the Reformed

church of York, Pa., where he continued to officiate until he

was called upon to preside over the theological seminary of

the German Reformed cliurch. In 1825 he resigned his

• OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 389

charge in York, moved to Carlisle, Pa., and began liis duties

as professor in the seminary. The new institution was fortu-

nate in obtaining the services of Dr. Mayer, at a time wheneverything depended upon those interested with its control

and management. The new professor was popular and dis-

charged his duties with great fidelity. The infant institu-

tion, however, was but poorly endowed, and this, in connec-

tion with other circumstances needless to detail, proved very

embarrassing to the incumbent of the theological chair,

and indeed to the Synod itself. In 1829 the seminary was

removed to York, Pa. A second professor of the seminary

was found necessary, and it was also resolved to connect a

classical school with the seminary. This latter department

was committed to Frederick A. Eauch,^ a distinguished

German scholar, and afterwards President of Marshall Col-

lege, in Mercersburg, Pa. Dr. Mayer faithfully served the

church in the capacity of professor in the seminary, until

lSo5, when it was removed to Mercersburg. Noi choosing

' A few remarks and reflections will not be iintinied as regards the

career and irtflueuce of Dr. Frederick Augustus Ranch, who, although

never hviug in our midst, yet whose ashes lie amongst us, and whose

influence is felt swelling the intellectual gales of our country. His

monument reared on Franklin and Marshall cami)us, will, in coming-

time, be one of the objects of interest for visitors to the inland city of

Lancaster. In the coming of Dr. Ranch to the United States, there wasfreighted into our country a cargo of philosophical thought that, in a

great measure, has served to arouse American life to the existence of the

gigantic intellectual revolution that had been fought across the waters

in the fatherland. Prior to the arrival of this scholar in America, little

was known as regards the state of opinion in Europe, and the little that

it was came by way of England, that had itself seaicely waked up to a

.knowledge of the great world-battle that had been fought on Germ.an

soil. From the time that Dr. Ranch was made President of Marshall

College in Mercersburg, in 183-1, a new era dawned upon the Americanmind, and a tide of thinking set in which from that period has flowed

onward with gathering strength. The names of Kant, Jacobi, Fichte,

Schellin_,, Hegel, Schleiermacher and Daub, are familiarized to a circle

of American auditors, and the thoughts of these world-famed thinkers

are made to take hold upon our cis-Atlantic intellect. Dr. Ranch, in the

works he brought with him, was as by charts enabled to point out the

respective positions of the contending hosts of European thought, andas one who had surveyed the whole field of the contest, could say whathad been sever.illy gained by the one, and lost by the other.

America, at that time, was still adhering to the nude dogmatism of


to leave York, he resigned his professorship in the seminary,

but upon the earnest solicitation of Synod, was afterwards

prevailed upon to resume his professorship. He did so,

however, with the distinct understanding, that his services

should simply be regarded as temporary. In October of

the following year, at the meeting of the general Synod, Dr.

Mayer again tendered his resignation, which was accepted.

From that time till his death he continued to reside in York,

and was engaged, as far as health would permit, in preparing

several works for the press.

As a preacher. Dr. Mayer was learned and faithful. In

the early part of his ministry it was his custom to write and

commit hi^ sermons ; but in his later years he preached chiefly

extemporaneously. His preaching was plain, practical and

impressive. In the delivery of his sermons he was mea-

sured, earnest, and always very serious. His style was clear,

chaste, and adapted to the comprehension of his auditors;

often argumentative, and at times very powerful. Being

possessed of a clear, logical mind, he was very hapjjy in his

creeds, abandoned by the philosophic mind of the world for near a cen-

tury. Its intellectual status at that period, was but little developed

in the direction of metaphysical inquii-y and philosophical research; and,

indeed, the grade of collegiate training seemed to aim at nothing higher

than a preparation for practical life and the distribution of inherited

opinions. That, it must be confessed, is too truly even yet the case; but

with the meeting of Drs. Ranch and Nevin at Mercersburg, a new spirit

arose upon American soO. It was the spirit of inquiry, and the same

that served in Descartes for the complete overthrow of scholasticism.

The new spirit grew and advanced, and some years afterwards found its

main footliold in Lancaster county. It germinated in what is known as

the Mercersburg school of theology, but that is simply one pliase of the

influence following the dissemination of the new principle.

The war of the American scholastics against the new school of thought

was commenced, and, with scarce an intermission, has been continued up

till the present. Our county in the removal of the Theological seminary

of the German Reformed church, during 1871, from Mercersburg to Lan-

caster, has become a centre of thought-distinction, whose existence

dare not be unrecognized. From it will continue to emanate an influ-

ence potent on American life and thinking, towards the building up of

a clear systematic and rounded jihilosophy which can turn all the

weapons of a puerile scholastic dogmatism.

The man from whom, in a large measure, this influence has flown,

Dr. Frederick A. Ranch, and whose remains lie in Lancaster, was born


explanations of the Scriptures, and in setting forth their true

sense. He had somewhat a taste for lecturing, and his ex-

positions of the sacred oracles were, in general, very clear

and forcible.

As a professor. Dr. Mayer was eminently qualified. For

thirteen years he filled the chair of professor of theology,

and a part of this time gave instruction also in the Hebrewlanguage and church history. Like many of our eminent

men, he was chiefly indebted to his untiring industry for his

ripe scholarship. He was a fine linguist, and had made him-

self familiar with the various European systems of theology

and philosophy. He was a fine German scholar, and he per-

used many of the works which emanated from that land of

scholars and deep thinkers. His mind was admirably

adapted to the study of biblical antiquities, hermeneutics,

exegesis, and didactic and pastoral theology. Few, perhaps,

surpassed him in sermonizing, and in preparing and dictating

skeletons of sermons. If a skeleton prepared and read by a

student was not aufait, it underwent a remodeling immedi-

in Hesse-Darmstadt, July 27th, 1806. At the age of fifteen he becamea student of Marburg, where he took his diploma in 1837. Afterwards

he spent some time at Giessen and Heidelberg. Upon leaving Heidel-

berg he became professor extraordinary in the university of Geissen,

being at the time twenty-four years of age. Possessing a temperamentthat could ill repress real sentiment, he gave utterance to views offensive

to the governing powers, and his safety required on his part a voluntary

self-expatriation. He came to America in the fall of 1831, having just

completed the twenty-fifth year of his age. He spent his first year in

Easton, Pa., where he applied himself assiduously to the learning of the

English language. His stores of classical and philosophical learning

were at this time of little avail, and he derived the most immediateadvantage to himself from his knowledge of music, of which he was a

master. He procured his support by giving lessons on the piano. In

June, 1832, he went to York, Pa., and took charge of the classical school,

then an appendage of the Theological seminary, in which capacity he

labored up to 1835. In this latter year he moved to Mercersburg, and waschosen president of Marshall College. In this responsible position he

continued to labor, in the midst of great difficulties and discouragements,

up till the time of his death, which occurred March 2d, 1841. His

remains, after resting in Mercersburg for eighteen years, were brought

to Lancaster in 1859, and now lie in front of FrankUn and Marshall

college edifice. Lancaster you should be proud that your earth forms

the urn of one of Germany's noble baud of philosophic thinkers.


ately, or was altogether laid aside and another dictated at once.

To his class he seemed always prepared on the topics of the

recitation, and perfectly at home on all collateral matters

claiming attention. On subjects connected with personal

piety, he was in the habit of speaking to the students, and

embraced every fitting opportunity to give them counsel

and to urge upon them the imj)ortance of a prayerful and

holy life.

Dr. Mayer edited for many years, with great acceptance,

the Magazine and Messenger of the German Reformed church,

and occasionally contributed ably written articles for someof the leading American reviews. Among his published

works, are those on the Sin against the Holy Ghost ; Lec-

tures on ScrijAural Subjects, and his History of the German

Reformed church. He died August 25th, 1849.

MAYEE, Nathaniel, was elected a member of the Legis-


McALISTER, Archibald, was a member of the Legisla-

ture in the year 1820.

McALISTER, Jacob, was elected County Commissioner in

the year 1832.

McCAMANT, John, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 182-1 and 1827. In 1826 he was the Democratic

competitor of James Buchanan for Congress.

McCLEERY, Carpenter, was elected Clerk of Quarter

Sessions and Oyer and Terminer in the year 1815.

McCLURE, Joseph, was elected to the Legislature in the


McCULLOCH, Wm., was a member of the Legislature in

the year 1820.

McEVOY, Patrick, an extensive contractor and banker,

was born at Millick, Queens county, Ireland. He emigrated

to America friendless, and found employment with a rail-

road contractor in a subordinate position. Having shown a

rare acuteness in business, he was encouraged to embark in

contracting, and in this he proved remarkably fortunate. In

a few years he became one of the most extensive contractors

in the country, and had large contracts in the construction


of the Pennsylvania railroad, the New York and Erie rail-

road, and the Susquehanna and Tide Water canal ; he was

also a contractor on a railroad in New Jersey. It was he

who built the section of the Pennsylvania Central railroad

at Kittaning point, which is regarded by railroad men as one

of the finest pieces of work in the United States. Mr. Mc-

Evoy lived many years near the city of Lancaster, and was

a man highly esteemed and respected. In 1864 he was the

Democratic elector for this district on the Presidential ticket.

He was a director of the old Lancaster bank, and filled

numerous other official positions of trust. . At the time of his

death he was engaged in completing a very heavy contract

for th^ Philadelphia and Erie railroad company, in construct-

ing Bennet's branch railway, eighteen miles in length, at

Driftwood. He died February 1st, 1870, in the sixty-fifth

year of his age.

*McGOWAN FAMILY. John McGowan emigrated from

Ireland about the time of the last war with England, when

quite young. He was an enterprising and intelligent man,

and by his persevering industry and good character, rose

from being a clerk to an extensive manufacturer of iron in

Sadsbury township. He was united in marriage about the

year 1830 with Catharine, the daughter of William and Sarah

Knott, and settled on a farm which he purchased in the

valley. He died in the year 1851, leaving his widow with

nine sons and five daughters, who are all living at the pres-

ent time (except one which died in infancy.) The family

now own most of the original tract of Moses Musgrove in the

valley. They are the well-known, highly respectable Mc-

Gowan family, among whom are William McGowan, esq.,

John McGowan and Joseph McGowan, late assistant asses-

sor of internal revenue.

McGEANN, John, brother of Kichard McGrann, was an

enterprising business man and contractor.

McGPiANN, EiCHAED, a prominent contractor, who died

October 14th, 1867, aged seventy years. The following is

from the Philadelphia Press :

"Kicliard McGrann was well known in Pennsylvania as one of the


28


most enterprising and courageous contractors in the State. The elegant

Abridge which spans the Schuylkill at the end of Chestnut sti-eet, Phila-

delphia, is a lasting and most creditable monument of his labor. ThePennsylvania and Northern Central raih'oads, as well as many other lines

testify to his energy and success. At the time of his death he was en-

jgaged on a large and handsome railroad bridge near Eastou. He camefrom Ireland when a young man, poor and friendless. He was a man of

controlling weight in his county, and the head of a large and substantial

"family connection. He was a gentleman of warm impulses, unimpeach-

able integrity, and great pubUc spirit."

He was a delegate to the Democratic State Convention in

1863.

McLENEGAN, Zephaniah, appointed Prothonotary in

1839.

McMillan, John, a member of the Legislature in 1776.

McSPARREN, James, elected Commissioner in 1806.

MEHAFFEY, Geoege "W., was elected Commissioner in

1871.

MEHAFFEY, Hugh, was appointed Register of Wills in

1836.

MERCER, Capt. J. Q., was born in Sadsbury township,

and belongs to Quaker ancestry. He was engaged in teach-

ing school when the firing upon Fort Sumpter roused the

country to arms. He immediately enlisted for the three

:months' service in company K, of 20th regiment (Scott

Legion). Upon the expiration of this service he reenlisted as

3d duty sergeant in comjDany P, 28th Pennsylvania volunteer

infantry, and served in the same until after the battle of An-

tietam, when the company was transferred and made a part

of the 147th volunteer infantry. His company afterwards

formed part of the army of the Cumberland, under the com-

mand of Gen. Hooker. He was with his company and a

participant in many of the hard fought battles of the rebel-

lion, and amongst these, Lookout Mountain, Autietam, Mis-

sion Ridge, Chancellorsville, Ringgold, Resaca, Gettysburg,

Snicker's Gap, and Pine Knob. In the latter engagement he

was wounded in the right leg above the knee, June 16th,

1864, having been previously commissioned captain of his

company, June 8th of the same year. On account of this

wound he was necessitated to sufi'er amputation of his right


leg, and after a hospital confinement of some months was

discharged from service, March 2d, 1865. In October of

1866 he was nominated and elected clerk of the orphans'

court of Lancaster county, the duties of which ofiice he dis-

charged to the satisfaction of the public.

MERCER, James, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1781, 1782, 1783 and 1784.

MICHAEL, William, was elected clerk of the Quarter

Sessions in the year 1830.

MILLER, David, was elected Sheriii' of Lancaster county

in the year 1785, and held the same for three years. He was

elected to the Legislature in 1789. He was also elected to

the State Senate in 1794, and in 1801 returned again to the

Legislature.

MILLER, Gen. Henry, a native of Lancaster county, was

a conspicuous oflScer of the American army during the

Revolutionary war. He was engaged in many of the hard

fought battles of that stirring period. He was born in the

year 1741, and died at Carlisle in the year 1824.

*MILLER, Henry, was born in Reading, Berks county,

Pa., December 18th, 1774, came to Mauheim in 1803, where

he carried on the hatting business. During life, being of a

domestic, quiet disposition, he meddled little with public

affairs. In 1826 the Federal party, to which he belonged,

nominated him for a seat in the Legislature without his

knowledge or consent. When apprised of it, he first de-

clined ; after considerable persuasion, his friends succeeded

in having him accept the nomination. He was elected and

served the session of 1826-27. In 1827 he was again

nominated for the same position. At this time parties

were closely divided between Democrats and Federals.'

General Jackson being nominated for President, strengthened

the Democratic party considerably in the county, and he was

this time defeated. He spent the remainder of his life in

private, much respected in the community in which he was

so well known. He died May 11th, 1847, aged 73 years,

7 months and 21 days.

*Contributed by Abraham Kaufljnan.

d\)b BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

MILLER, John, a farmer of MaHheim township, waselected County Commissioner in the year 1839. He was one

of the early anti- slavery men of his district; a great friend

of the free school system, when his township was opposed

to it; and an advocate of the cause of temperance. He was

one of the most devoted friends of Thaddeus Stevens in the

county. Besides agricultural pursuits, he latterly carried on

the business of milling.

MILLER, Martin, was elected County Commissioner in

the year 1843.

MILLER, Tobias H., was elected Recorder of Deeds in

the year 185*1.

MILES, Colonel David, is a native of Franklin county,

Pa., born in 1831. In his youth he worked upon a farm,

then learned the tin and sheet-iron business, which he fol-

lowed till the breaking out of the rebellion. He went out

as orderly sergeant of the Lancaster Fencibles in the three

months service, and after this term of duty had expired, he

again marched as First Lieutenant of company B of the 69th

regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers, under Captain Duch-

man, Upon the promotion of Captain Duchman to be Lieu-

tenant Colonel of the regiment. Lieutenant Miles took his

place as Captain, and afterwards succeeded him as Lieutenant

Colonel when the former left the army. He participated in

the battles of Perryville, Stone River and Chickamauga, in

which last he was taken prisoner, and was detained as such in

Libby Prison, Richmond, at Macon, Georgia, and at Charles-

ton, South Carolina. After being exchanged, he served in

Sherman's famous march to the sea in command of a brigade,

and fought in the battle of Bentonville, where he was

wounded, besides many other minor engagements. He was

discharged from service with the rank of Colonel by brevet.

In 1866 he was nominated and elected register of wills of

Lancaster county, the duties of which he discharged for

three years.

MITCHELL, James, was elected a member of the Legis-

lature in the years 1729, 1744, 1745 and 1746.

MOHLER, John, was a member of the Legislature in the



MOHLER, Samuel, was a member of the Legislature in

the year 1827.

MONTGOMERY, John E.,' was one of the ablest lawyers

and finest pleaders that ever practiced at the Lancaster bar.

A cotemporary, writing of him, says: '' His mind was well

schooled and disciplined in a knowledge of all of our politi-

cal institutions, in the varied systems which prevail under

the constitutions and legislation of the diff«rent States ; with

a thorough knowledge of the adjudications of the national

and State tribunals, and with all these qualifications he

possessed, in an eminent degree, that untiring assiduity,

energy and integrity which are necessary to discharge the

high responsibilities that devolve upon the profession. In

the inferior and in the superior courts, in every position in

which he was placed in the profession, he displayed that

legal learning that marked him as one of the ablest men of

the State and nation." James Buchanan, in speaking of the

case of Reichenbach vs. Reichenbach, which was the last in

which he ever appeared as an attorney, and which had been

prepared for trial by John R. Montgomery, said it was the

best prepared case he had ever known. On another occa-

sion he remarked to a legal friend, that "of all the lawyers

he had ever encountered in the trial of a cause, John R.

Montgomery seemed to him the weightiest." He died Novem-ber 3d, 1854. Thfe subject of our notice yet lives fresh in

the memory of the members of the profession and people

of Lancaster city and county, and throughout Pennsylvania;

and whenever ability with oratory combined are being esti-

mated, as to members of the Lancaster bar, amongst groups

of legal gentlemen, a trio of brilliant names always associated

are sure to be mentioned, those ofJohn R. Mougomery, George

Washington i5arton and Washington Hopkins.

MONTGORIERY, Joseph, the father of John R. Mont-

gomery, esq., was a member of the Legislature in the year

' When, ill September, 1834, Gen. Lafayette visited Lancaster, JohnR. Montgomery engrossed much of his attention; and when he left

Lancaster the latter escorted him in his carriage, drawn by match greys,

as far as Port Deposit, Maryland. On their way they stopped at the

Black Bear tavern, and at that place met with several of his old soldiers

of the Revolution, and he shook hands with them for the last time.


1782. He carried on the busiues of blacksmithing, and also

farming. The following anecdote is told as regards him

:

Being a strict Presbyterian, his family had been in the habit

of never preparing supper on Sunday. Having an Irishman

as a journeyman blacksmith in his employ,- the latter was

told that it was the custom of the family to have no supper,

as there was no work going on. The journeyman had been

used to Sunday suppers, and, going out to the blacksmith

shop, he began work hammering upon the anvil as usual. Mr.

Montgomery going to the shop, asked the Irishman what all

that meant, as he did not allow working on Sunday. TheIrishman replied, that he had been told that he could get no

supper unless he worked, and that he desired. The journey-

man had no occasion further to begin working in order to

get his Sunday supper.

MOOEE, Andrew, brother of John and Thomas Moore,

came from Ireland in the year 1723, and settled near Sads-

bury township, Lancaster county. He was a man of great

piety, of indomitable courage and energy of character, and

was in possession of considerable means. He purchased

large tracts of lands lying on both sides of the Octoraro,

and shortly after his arrival built the first mill in the south-

west, near Penningtonville, Chester county, the old remains

of which are yet visible. Although his own residence was

on the Chester county side, yet his improvements extended

into both counties. He erected another mill on the west

side of the creek, and other substantial buildings, some of

which are yet standing. He was chiefly instrumental in

establishing the Friends' meeting-house, at " Old Sadsbury,"

in 172-i, and his descendants stood at the head of the society

for upwards of one hundred years.* He had seven sons and

two daughters, all of whom reared families. His sons were

James, David, John, Eobert, Andrew, William and Joseph

;

and his daughter, Sarah, married to William Truman, and

Eachel, the wife of John Truman. Andrew Moore lived to

a very advanced age, and left sixty-seven grandchildren,

several of whom attained to the age of 100 years. The

only survivor among the grandchildren, is Phoebe Wicker-

*Retrospect of early Quakerirm, by Dr. Micheuer.


sham, who, in 1870, was in the 85th year of her age. Andrewand Isaac Moore, of Sadsbury, Lancaster county, and Henry-

Moore, of Chester county, are amongst his descendants, whostill own and occupy parts of the original purchases of land

made by their early ancestor.

*MOOEE, Jajies, son of Andrew Moore, was born in Ire-

land, 1716, and came over with his parents in 1723. Hemarried Ann, daughter of Jeremiah and Eebecca Starr, about

1740. He was among the leading pioneers in the settlement

of Sadsbury,' and was a very pious and worthy man. Theold mill below Christiana was re-built by him, and he erected

those substantial stone dwellings along the Octoraro which,

together with the mill, have been standing in good condition.

for more than one hundred years. Most of the old improve-

ments in that neighborhood were built by himself and his

family. James Moore was a minister in the society of

Friends, and labored greatly for the advance of truth and

righteousness, not only among those of his own society, but

amongst others. He contributed largely for the purpose of

erecting the present meeting-house at Sadsbury, about the

year 1760, and afterwards bequeathed a large sum of moneyin care of the society, the interest of which was to be applied

' The fii'st land purchased from the proprietors in Sadsbury township,

and perhaps mthiu the present limits of Lancaster county, is part of

what is known at present as the " Pownall tract," lying west of the

Octoraro, in the great valley about one mile south of Christiana, and

containing about 300 acres. It was conveyed by William Pemi to John

Kennerly, of Shawangta, (or Shawanatown), and the deed bears the

date of the year 1691. The deed is still retained in the PownaU family

with the name of "William Penn attached thereto. This tract was after-

wards purchased from Kennerly by Constantiue Overton in the year 1796,

and by him re-sold in the year 1708 to George Pierce, of Concord, Ches-

ter county. The latter, in company with Robert Pyle, was appointed

by the quarterly meeting at Chester, to go down to Nottiugham for

the purpose of establishing a meeting there. Retrospect of Early

Quakerism, y. 254. While at Kottiugham he met with friends whoexpressed a desire to visit the Indians in the western parts of Chester

county and at the Susquehanna, and he accompanied them. Theytraveled through the woods and were kindly received by the Indians at

Conestoga.

At that time the Shawatiese had wigwams along the banks of the

*The sketches of the Moore Family were contributed by Isaac Walker,,

of Sadsbury.


to the education of the children of members in low circum-

stances; but provided it was not needed in the society, then

it should be appropriated for the education of others whowere not members, without regard to color ; this money re-

mains a school fund in the hands of the society to the pres-

ent day. Mr. Moore was a man of herculean strength, whowas able to carry nine bushels of corn up the mill steps at

one time. He was able to take a fifty-six pound weight oneach of his little fingers and touch them together over his

head."

He married his fourth wife when 75 years of age, and also

survived her. He died in the year 1810, aged 94 years, andhis descendants comprise a large and respectable portion of

the citizens of Sadsbury, Lampeter, Columbia, and many other

places. James Moore had, by his first wife, four sons and

two daughters, all of whom attained to considerable age and

raised families. His sons were Andrew, Jeremiah, John,

and Doctor James Moore ; and the daughters, Eebecca inter-

married with John Cooper, the father of Calvin, Jeremiah,

James, John, and William Cooper ; and Ann, who was married

to Asahel Walker, the grandfather of Joseph C. Walker, of

Salisbury, and of Isaac Walker, of Sadsbury.

MOOEE, John, brother of Andrew and Thomas Moore,

Octoraio, and an Indian village called "Old Sliawaua town." Rupp'sHistory of Lancaster, p. 42. It was probably on this visit that George

Pierce first discovered this tract of laud, which he purchased and settled

on two years afterwards. He was among the very first pioneers whomade a substantial settlement in Lancaster county. Meetings of wor-

ship were held at the house of George Pierce, near the residence of the

late Joseph Pownall, many years before the meeting at "Old Sadsbui'y"

was established, and these meetings were attended by the Musgroves,

the Leonards and other early Quakers. The old grave yard which had

been laid out on land now owned by Levi Scarlet, 4 rods square, was re-

served in the patent given by WiUiam Penn to Moses Musgrove, (the

original patent is now in the hands of the JIcGowan family.) At the

time of the organization of Lancaster county, Caleb Pierce, son of

George Pierce, was appointed one of the associate justices of the Lan-

caster county Court, and held other impoi-tant trusts. Some years after-

wards they sold out to the Musgroves and removed to Fallowfleld, Ches-

ter county, and their descendants in both counties are numerous and

respectable; among the number is the well known George Pierce, of

Bart to'.i uship.

*rriends Miscellany, vol. vi., p. 45.

OF LANCASTER GOUXTY. 401

purchased the Christiana tract in the year 1727, which had

been patented by Philip Howell in 1702 and 1703. John

Moore left no children, and willed his property to ThomasMoore, his brother, in 1728, who sold it to Calvin Cooper

about six years afterwards.

MOORE, Thoîas, brother of Andrew and John Moore,

was an early jjioneer in the settlement of the eastern section

of Lancaster county. He came from Ireland and settled in

Sadsbury township, at a very early day. He had erected

the first grist mill on the Brandywine creek before the year

1718, from which a public road led to Philadelphia, called

the King's highway.* At a council held at Philadelphia,

May 29th, 1718, a petition of several of the inhabitants of

and near Conestoga, was presented, setting forth the great

necessity of a road to be laid out from Conestoga to ThomasMoore's mill and the Brandywine ; and the board having

taken said petition into consideration, appointed Isaac Tay-

lor, John Taylor, John Cartlidge, Ezekiel Harlen, 'Thomas

Moore, Joseph Cloud, (of Pequea), and William Marsh, to

lay out said road, and make report thereof to the Board, in

order to be confirmed.

f

MORRISON FAMILY. Samuel and James Morrison,

brothers, settlers originally in Drumore townshijD, about

1717 or 1718. They emigrated from the North of Ireland.

Each of them took up considerable tracts of land. Samuel

lived with his brother and his family, and died leavmg no

heirs. James Morrison had two sons, named James and

Daniel, both of whom were prominent men in their day.

James Morrison, jr., was a captain of the militia, and served

for a time as a soldier of the Revolution. He was a member

of the Legislature in the years 1791, 1792, 1793, and 1795.

His son, Daniel, was also a member of the Legislature in the

years 1818 and 1819. Samuel Morrison served in the Legis-

lature in the years 1822 and 1824: ; and George Morrison in

the years 1845 and 1846. George was born in 1789, and

died in 1860. George Morrison was an extensive cattle and

sheep grazier, and an influential man in the community.

*Col. Records, vol. iii., p. 142. fCol. Records, vol. iii., p. 43.

402 BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORY

MOSHEE, Jeremiah, a blacksmith in Lancaster for manyyears. He served under Arnold in the attempt to storm

Quebec, and was one of the forlorn hope which penetrated

to the works in what was called the lower town. All his

companions were killed or wounded but himself, and being

taken prisoner, was afterwards released, and served in the

American arii;y till the close of the Revolution, and then

retired covered with honorable scars. He carried on black-

smithing extensively in Lancaster, and did most of the workfor the difi'erent stage lines running from Philadelphia

through Lancaster to Pittsburg. He was a man of excellent

character and good judgment. He was a member of the

Legislature in 1815 and in 1818. He was elected colonel in

1812. He was buried with the honors of war, and a horse

upon which his regimentals were placed, was led in his

funeral procession.

MUHLENBERG, Frederick Augustus, M. D., was born

in Lancaster city. Pa., March l-±th, 1795. Having attained

an education, he studied medicine under the instruction of

the celebrated Dr. Rush, and graduated with high honors at

the university of Pennsylvania, April 9th, 1814. He im-

mediately began the practice of his profession in Lancaster,

being but 19 years of age ; and he was not slow in winning

his way to public confidence, and establishing for himself a

large and lucrative practice. In 1821 he received from Gov-

ernor Hiester the appointment of prothonotary of Lancaster

county, an of&ce he held until succeeded in 1823 by N. W. Sam-

ple. He was for many years president of the old Lancaster

Bank, and to himself and James Evans, cashier of the institu-

tion, was it owing that the old corporation enjoyed for a long

time a high degree of popularity and business prosperity.

He served as trustee and treasurer of the old Franklin,

college for many years, and exerted the weight of his influence

in securing the removal of Marshall college to this place,

and the consolidation of the two institutions into the present

Franklin and Marshall college. Upon the establishment of

the State Lunatic Asylum at Harrisburg, he was named as

one of the trustees, a position he held until relieved at his

own request. He had no political aspirations, but owing ta


his great personal popularity, he was often urged to become

the candidate of his party for office, but usually declined.

On one occasion he was the candidate of the Democratic

party against Thaddeus Stevens for Congress. He gave his

steady attention to the business of his profession for a period

of over fifty years, and for a long time ranked as one of the

two leading physicians of Lancaster. Even in his later years,

when physical infirmity required of him to relinquish the

most of his business, a large number of his old patients still

clung to him, and anxiously sought his professional advice.

Upon the breaking out of the Southern rebellion, he gave

his adhesion to the war party in favor of the restoration of

the Union of the States, and thenceforth acted with the

Eepublican organization. He lent his influence towards the

establishment of the Union League in Lancaster, and acted

as its first President. For many years he was, perhaps, the

leading member of the Trinity Lutheran church, of which

he was a steady and consistent member. In all charitable

and benevolent movements. Dr. Muhlenberg always bore a

prominent part, and but few enterprises of importance were

inaugurated unless he was first consulted. He died July 5th,

1867, in the 73d year of his age.

MUHLENBERG, Henry Ernst, the youngest son of

Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg and his wife, Anna Maria, (a

daughter of the celebrated Conrad Weiser,) was born in

Montgomery, Pa., November 17th, 1753. He attained the

rudiments of an education in his native village, and after

his parents removed to Philadelphia, he attended the schools

of that city. In 1763 he and his elder brothers were sent to

Europe, and were entered as pupils in the orphan house of

Halle. He here pursaed his studies, and obtained a know-

ledge of the Latin, Greek, Hebrew and French languages.

In 1769 he entered the university, where he remained for

one year, and returned to America in September, 1770. In

the following month he was ordained by the Synod of Penn-

sylvania, at Reading, and became his father's assistant,

preaching in Philadelphia, Barren Hill, and in the churches

on the Raritan. On the Ith of April, 1774, he was elected

minister of the Philadelphia congregation, which position he


held until the British obtained possession of Philadelphia,

when he retired to New Providence. During the period of

the Eevolution his situation was transitory for a time, and until

he accepted the charge of the Trinity Lutheran Church in

Lancaster, in 1780. Here he spent thirty-five years of useful

and active life in ministerial duty, and until the shaft of

death removed him from the sphere of his usefulness, May23d, 1815. The University of Pennsylvania conferred upon

him the degree of doctor of divinity, a merited tribute to

his learning and varied attainments. As a theologian, he

ranked amongst the ablest in the Lutheran church of

America. In the study of natural science he evinced a great

fondness, especially in botany, and was named by Dr. Bald-

win, the American Linnxus. He was, in 1804, honored bya visit from the distinguished scientist and traveler, Alex-

ander von Humboldt. He prepared and published an

English and German lexicon and grammar, in 2 vols. Hewrote the " Catalogus Plantarum " and the " Descriptio

Uberior Graminum," works frequently quot' d by botanical

writers in Europe and America. He has also left consider-

able manuscript materials on theology and ethics.

*MUSGROVE FAMILY. John, Aaron, Moses, Thomasand Abraham Musgrove, were the first settlers in the valley

of Sadsbury, Lancaster county. Their warrant bears date

in the year 171ii. They purchased nearly all the land in that

rich valley from George and Caleb Pierce, cleared off their

land, and erected themselves residences, some of which stand

to the present day. They were members of the society of

Friends, and attended the meetings for worship at the house

of George Pierce for many years before the establishment of

the meeting-house at old Sadsbury. The old Musgrove bury-

ing ground was expressly reserved by Moses Musgrove, when,

in 1747, he sold the land to Samuel Williams. It was on

the southeastern part of the place, and is now on the land of

Levi Scai'let. It was kept enclosed with a fence within the

recollection of the oldest inhabitants, but having fallen into

sacrilegious hands, it was plowed up long since with the

cultivated field.

^Contributed by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbury.


John Musgrove, sr., was a valuable and worthy memberof society, and stood among the most prominent of the early

pioneers in the settlement of Lancaster county. At a coun-

cil held at Philadelphia, October 15th, 1726, a petition of

divers inhabitants about Pequea, in the county of Chester,

was presented, setting forth that, by an order of Chester

court, a road had been laid out through the township of

Pequea, over hills, swamps, rocks, &c., to the great inconve-

nience of travelers and the said inhabitants, which road is

that which leads from Thomas Mill's place towards the town-

ship of Donegal, and therefore the petitioners pray, that six

good men may be appointed to view the said road, and

make such alterations therein as may be necessary for the

public service. This petition being considered, it was

ordered that John Wright, George Aston, Samuel Blunston,

Samuel Eutt, John Musgrove and Edmund Cartlidge, or a

' majority of them, view the same road, and particularly that

part leading through the township of Pequea, (now Stras-

burg, &c.) and make such alterations therein as may seem to

them most just and reasonable for the public service, and

make return of their proceedings herein to this board.

Colonial Record, Vol. iii, p. 263.

John Musgrove was appointed a commissioner in the year

1728-29, to divide the county of Chester, at the time that

Lancaster county was stricken off from Chester and organ-

ized. He was elected a member of the general Assemblyfor the years 1730-31. His son, John Musgrove, sr.,

served on the first grand jury in Lancaster, November,

1730. After having conveyed his lands to his sons, the old

homestead to his son James Musgrove, he died about the

year 1737, and was buried in the valley, at Musgrove's old

burying-place. He was in all respects one of the most

worthy and exemplary men of his time.

Aaron Musgrove was also a worthy and serviceable citi-

zen among the early settlers of Sadsbury. He was the orig-

inal purchaser of a large tract of land in the valley (includ-

ing that now owned by Levi Pownall.) He was one of the

most influential men in that early settlement, and was greatly

instrumental in procuring roads to be laid out, some of


which yet bear his name. In the year 1738 he became a

member of the Sadsbury meeting of Friends. In 1754 he

sold his lands and removed and settled at New Garden, Ches-

ter county, Pa. His son, Aaron Musgrove, was married to

Ann, the daughter of James and Alice Smith, of Lampeter

township, in 1757. His grandson, Aaron Musgrove, was the

leader of the party that captured, in the year 1788, those

notorious desperadoes and outlaws, Abraham and Levi

Doane, who were hanged at Philadelphia on the 24th of

September of that year.' See Col. Eecord, vol. xv., p. 502.

Moses Musgrove was also a valuable member of society

among the first settlers of Sadsbury. He was well educated

and did much to render the wilderness a fit dwelling-place

for civilized men. After he had labored for more than thirty

years in the settlement of Sadsbury, in his declining years

he sold his estate to Samuel Williams, and removed to

Fallowfield, in Chester county. It is now owned and occu- •

pied by Levi Scarlet, and that large and respectable family

of the McGowans.

Thojias and Abraham Musgrove were also valuable

members of the Friends' society, about the time Sadsbury

monthly meeting was first established ; and after having the

names of their sons and daughters enrolled in the records of

that meeting, they removed and settled at Darby, near Phil-

adelphia, in 1749. Their lands are now owned by TrumanCooper, J. D. Carothers, esq., William Spencer, esq., Levi

and Henry Pownall, the McGowans, John Allen, Calvin

Carter and others. But a small remnant of their descend-

ants reside at the present time in Lancaster county.

MUSSER, George, was born July 11th, 1777, and died

May 26th, 1868. He went out as a Lieutenant in the war

' PhOadelpliia, Thursday, July 31st, 1788, before the Hon. Peter

Muhlenberg, esq., Vice President, and the Board : Upon the opinion

of the Attorney General, now received in favor of the claim of Aaron

Musgrove and others, to the reward offered by i^roclamation of Council,

dated the 36th of July, 178-1, for apprehending and securing AbrahamDoane and Levi Doane. Resolved, that two orders be drawn on the

Treasm-er in favor of Aaron Musgrove, Thomas Taylor, Benjamin Mil-

ler, William Webb and John Morrison, for the sum of one hundi'ed

pounds each, being the reward oftered as aforesaid, for apprehending

and securing Abraham and Levi Doane.

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. , 407

of 1812, and was promoted to ttie rank of Captain. He was

for many years a director of the branch bank of Pennsyl-

vania, located at Lancaster. He was elected one of the

board of county commissioners in 1814. He was, with

Wm. Cooper and John Bomberger, security^for Wm. Ham-ilton, when he was elected treasurer of Lancaster county.

He served for many years as an alderman of Lancaster.

He was for nearly sixty years a member of the vestry of

Trinity Lutheran church, and for a number of years one of

the three trustees, an office only bestowed upon the oldest

and most respected members.

MUSSER, Henry, elected Clerk of Quarter Sessions in

1860.

MUSSER, John, a member of the Legislature in 1820.

MUSSER, Michael, elected County Commissioner in

1802.

MUSSELMAN, Henry, elected County Commissioner in

1848.

MUSSELMAN, Michael, elected County Commissioner

in 1830.

MYERS, Frederick, elected Sheriff of Lancaster county

in 1869.

MYERS, James, is a leading citizen and iron-master of

Lancaster county, and widely reputed for his benevolence

and Christian charities. His sympathies have ever strongly

manifested themselves in behalf of the poor and down-

trodden. He has on several occasions been spoken of as a

candidate for Congress, but has informily declined a nomina-

tion for this position. He was elected to the Legislature of

Pennsylvania in 1861.

MYERS, Samuel M., was born in Rapho township, Lan-

caster county, October 24th, 1824. He is of German de-

scent. His great grandfather emigrated from Germany at an

early day, and settled in the northeastern part of the county.

He served about six months as an apprentice to the tailor-

ing business, and afterwards went into the mercantile busi-

ness, in which he continued up to 1860, when he was elected

Clerk of the Orphans' Court.

408 , BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOEY

NAUMAN, Col. George, U. S. A., was born in Lancas-

ter, October 7th, 1802. He entered the U. S. Military

Academy at West Point, as a cadet, in 1819 ; in 1821 was

acting assistant professor of French in that institution; in

1823 he graduated, and the same year was appointed second

lieutenant of the first regiment of artillery ; was assistant in-

structor of French at West Point, from September, 1828, to

August, 1829;promoted first lieutenant. May, 1832. He

served continuously in the Florida war from February, 1836,

to May, 1838, and was distinguished particularly in the

battle of Wahoo Swamp ; captain of first artillery, Febru-

ary, 1837 ;served through the Mexican war under Generals

Taylor and Scott ; brevet-major for gallant and meritorious

conduct at the battle of Cerro Gordo, April 18th, 1847;

brevet-lieutenant colonel for gallant and meritorious conduct

at the battles of Contreras and Qherubusco, August 20th,

1847 ; and was wounded in the battle of Chapultepec, Sep-

tember 8th, 1847. He commanded the first regiment of

artillery, and was commissioner of prize, at Vera Cruz, at

the close of the war, and conducted the evacuation of that

city by the U. S. army. He served on the Pacific coast from

May, 1854, to January, 1861; was promoted major of the

third regiment of artillery, December 24th, 1843, and com-

manded that regiment from May, 1854, to March, 1857, and

for seven months in 1860 ; was inspector of artillery for the

department of Oregon and California, from 1859 to 1861,

and conducted the artillery school at Fort Vancouver in

1860. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the first artil-

lery, July 23d, 1861, and was chief of artillery at Newport

News, in March, 1862, during the engagement with the

Merrimac, Yorktown, Jamestown, and other rebel steamers,

on which occasion he was favorably mentioned by General

Mansfield, in his report of the affair. He was stationed at

Fort Warren, in the harbor of Boston, in 1863, engaged in

placing that important work in a proper state of defence.


He was promoted colonel of the fifth artillery, August 1st,

1863, and died in Philadelphia, August 11th, 1863, of sun-

stroke, his health having been much impaired by exposure

and hardships incident to his long and faithful services.

For forty years he served the United States, and had been

stationed in every section of the Union, participating in three

wars, and in every capacity acquitted himself with honor

and distinction. He had just left California, and was with .

his family, then residing in Florida, when the rebellion broke

out. He was offered high rank and command by the men.

then organizing the new confederacy, but he spurned the

offer, preferring to stand by the flag under which he had so

often fought. As a compliment to his long and distinguished

services, the war department issued the order promoting him

colonel of the fifth artillery, after they had received official

notice of his death.

KEALE, THOirAS, was a member of the Legislature in

1835.

NEVIN, John Williamson, D.D., was born February

20th, 1803, in Franklin county, Pa. He is descended from

Scotch-Irish ancestry, and one conspicuous in statesmanship

and literature. His paternal grandmother was a sister of

the distinguished Hugh Williamson, LL. D., one of the framers

of the United States Constitution, and a man noted in the re-

public of letters. His parents were strict members of the

Presbyterian church, and the subject of this notice was early

indoctrinated into the religious principles of this influential

and respectable body of Christians. His father was a farmer

and a man of strong native ability, who had received a liberal

education, having graduated at Dickinson college, Carlisle,

Pa., then under the presidency of the celebrated Dr. John

Nesbit. The subject of this notice being designed by his

father for one of the learned professions, he was early intro-

duced by that parent to the knowledge of the Latin and

Greek languages, preparatory to his entering upon a college

career. In the autumn of 1817 he was matriculated as a

student in Union college. New York, then under the presi-

dency of Dr. Nott. Although the youngest in his class, he

was able to rival in study any of his classmates, and gradu-

29


ated with honor in 1821. His college course was a se^'ere

ordeal for him. Owing to his youth and the close applica-

tion he had given to study (for his ambition would not allow

liim to be outstripped by his classmates), he left his AlmaMater with health prostrated, and for the next two years was

sickly and unable to engage in any avocation. When at

college, he attended a series of revival meetings conducted

by a Mr. Nettleton, and professing a change of heart, he

united himself as a member of the visible church of Christ.

The bodily prostration that followed his classic career, was

accompanied with dyspeptic ailments, and being advised to

take plenty of exercise upon his father's farm in his wander-

ings amongst the fields and woods, he acquired for a time a

taste for botaaical pursuits. He was in the habit of peram-

bulating for days upon horseback and upon foot in search of

plants and flowers ; and of these, in a short time, he acquired

quite a collection. This course of life was at the time just

what was required; and as health began to return, his

thoughts recurred to the fancy scenes of Greece and Eomeonce wore. Gradually the study of Cicero and Homer was

again taken up ; and the sweet flowing language of Fenelon

and Bossuet, for which he had an especial taste, was nowprosecuted with greater zeal than ever. Martial arder came

in for a share of recognition also from our youthful ad libitum

'Student, and having united himself in a military company,

he was unanimously chosen orderly sergeant.

After his health was found to be quite well restored, and

it was perceived that he was again giving much of his atten-

tion to study, he was induced, in conformity with the wish

of his father, to take up the study of theology. This had

from the first been the wish of his parent, but was aban-

doned when he returned from college, utterly bankrupt in

health, and for a long time showed scarcely any signs of re-

turning strength. Accordingly, in pursuance of this view,

he entered the theological seminary at Princeton, in the

fall of iy23. Ever impelled with a longing and thirst for

knowledge, he felt an inexpressible pleasure as soon as the

consecrated walls of the seminary had enclosed him. Hethereupon made no haste to prosecute his career with great


celerity through the seminary, feeling that in this institu-

tion a more congenial home existed for him as a student

than might be found in any other pursuit of which, as yet,

he had any knowledge. In the regular theological course

of the seminary, he took a special interest in oriental and

biblical literature, and made great progress in the study of

Hebrew, outstripping in this branch all his classmates.

Before the close of his seminary course, he had read the

whole Bible in Hebrew, and secured the flattering distinc-

tion of being universally admitted as the best Hebrew scholar

in the institution. This distinction in Hebrew scholarship

was what formed the turning point in his life, and contrib-

uted to mould his. whole subsequent career. It was owing

to this distinction that he was, in 1826, invited to supply

the place of Dr. Hodge, who had gone on a visit of two years

to Europe for the benefit of the institution. This occupied

his attention for the next two years, at the small salary of

$200 per annum, and it was during this period that he wrote

his Biblical Antiquities, an excellent hand-book of Bible

knowledge, and one which has obtained an extensive circu-

lation, not only in America but also in Europe. Upon the

return of Dr. Hodge from Europe in 1828, his duties ex-

pired at Princeton, and in October of the same year he was

licensed to preach the Gospel by the Carlisle Presbytery

;

and to this he now devoted himself for the next year in a

more or less itinerant manner.

Before leaving Princeton, he had been selected as the

person who should fill the chair of biblical literature in the

new Western Thelogical Seminary in Allegheny city, which

the general assembly of the Presbyterian church were taking

steps to establish. During this time he became enlisted in

the cause of temperance, and, as a consequence, his sermons

breathed more or less frequently denunciations of the

sin of manufacturing and selling intoxicating liquors. Hebecame exceedingly ardent and condemnatory at times of the

dram-shops, and he was by no means careful to discriminate

whether his remarks might occasion offence, should some be

present whom his castigation might personally affect. This

proved to be the case in fact, and in one instance turned


out to his disadvantage. A call of a large and wealthy con-

gregation was about being extended to him, but because he

had preached a sermon which inflicted severe censure upon

the liquor-selling members, these feeling themselves person-

ally aggrieved, exerted their influence in preventing the call

being made. In the spring of 1829 he set out au cheval to see

after the theological seminary in Allegheny city, and so

shaped his arrangements that he should return in the fall

and undertake the duties assigned for him in the new insti-

tution. On returning home he became stated supply to the

congregation at Big Spring, Cumberland county, for four

months, and was strongly urged to become the pastor of this

congregation. He also, about this time, received a pressing

invitation to return to Princeton and become a writer of

books for the Sunday School Union ; but his mind was nowfully made up to go to Allegheny city.

The father of the subject of our notice died in 1829, and

this devolved on him, as the oldest of the family, a weight

of responsibility he had not heretofore felt. This necessi-

tated him to give some of his time to business affairs,

although up to the present period he had charged himself

little with matters of this kind. In consequence of the new

relations thus devolved upon him by the death of his father,

he was not in condition to set out for Allegheny until the

beginning of December of this year. When he entered

upon the discharge of his duties as instructor in the Western

Seminary, he was in the twenty-seventh year of his age. Atthe time Dr. Nevin entered upon this field of labor, the

Western Seminary was but a feeble institution. It " had no

buildings, no endowments, no prestige from the past, and

only doubtful and uncertain promise for the future." The

movements that had secured the establishment of this semi-

nary had met with great opposition ; the affections of

the east were wedded to Princeton; and in the west great

dissatisfaction was felt in its being thought not sufficiently

central to meet western wants. Upon western Pennsylva-

nia, as a consequence, devolved the whole responsibility as

to the support of this institution. Prof Luther Halsey and

Dr. Nevin labored in the building np of this seminary, and


their labors were crowned with good success. The Western

Theological SeminaLy, which has now become a power in

the Presbyterian church, owes much of its prosperity to the

assiduity and ability of the subject of our notice. For the

three first years of his life in Allegheny, Dr. Nevin madehis home in the house of Dr. Francis Herron, president of

the boai'd of trustees, and until his mother and her family

removed thither.

In 1835 Dr. Nevin was united in marriage with Martha,

the second daughter of Hon. Robert Jenkins, of Windsor

Place, in Lancaster county. During his whole ten years

connection with the Western Seminary, Dr. Nevin continued

to preach in different churches, almost as regularly as if in

charge of a congregation. At first he oflBciated simply as a

licentiate, but after some time was ordained in full to the

ministry by the Presbytery of Ohio. During part of the time

he preached with considerable regularity at a young ladies'

seminary, at Braddock's Field, near Pittsburg, and afterwards

served as stated supply for the congregation of Hilands, some

miles out of Pittsburg. He frequently appeared as con-

tributor to the press during his connection with the Western

Seminary, and many sermons, delivered by him on special

occasions, were published by request of the congregations

before whom they were delivered. In 1833-34 he con-

ducted the editorial management of the Friend^ a literary

and weekly journal in the service of the young men's society

of Pittsburg and vicinity. This journal, while under' the

guidance of Dr. Nevin, was the unreserved opponent of infi-

delity, fashionable amusements, ladies' fairs, and theatrical

entertainments ; and the views of the editor upon these

topics proved the occasion of considerable oft'ence. On ac-

count of the opposition made by this journal to the move-

ment set on foot to get up a theatre in Pittsburg, he was

threatened with cowhiding ; and on another occasion fears

of a mob were apprehended, on account of the supposed

incendiarism of the Friend upon the subject of slavery.

For no other reason than the pro-slavery proclivities of the

community at that time, was the journal obliged ultimately

to succumb, the last issue appearing March 12th, 1835.


Dr. Nevin was ever the staunch and outspoken opponent

of slavery in every form, and battled in favor of abolitionism

in a truly Christian spirit. He, however, never sympathized

with the so-called abolition party of the North, and opealy

condemned Garrison and his followers as irreligious in spirit

and unpatriotic. But the system of slavery, as it existed in

the southern States, was, in his opinion, a vast moral evil,

and one especially deserving criticism and censure. Henever spared the institution in his articles in the Friend; and

on one occasion he was denounced for this cause by a promi-

nent physician of the place, as "the most dangerous man in

Pittsburg." That his opinions upon this point may appear,

some extracts from the Friend are here adduced. In the jour-

nal of April 17th, 1834, he speaks as follows : "We trust that

the time is not far distant when, what has been rashly spoken

by abolitionists and colonizationists may be forgotten, and

the friends of humanity will find themselves able to stand

on common ground in regard to the great evil of slavery,

without denouncing either the one interest or the other.

That abolitionism has exhibited, in some cases, a wildly ex-

travagant form, we have no doubt; but we have just as

little doubt that great and powerful principles of truth have

been all along laboring underneath its action, and struggling

to come to clear and consistent development by its means."

In the valedictory issue of the Friend, Dr. Nevin thus dis-

courses : " Slavery is a sin as it exists in this country, and

as sUch it ought to be abolished. There is no excuse for its

being continued a single day. The whole nation is involved

in the guilt of it, so long as public sentiment acquiesces in

it as a necessary evil. That which is absolutely necessary

for its removal, is the formation of such a public sentiment

throughout the country as will make slaveholders ashamed

of their wickedness, and finally reform the laws under which

the evil now holds its power in the different States. Such a

sentiment has not heretofore existed, and it is plain that

much discussion and thought are needed to call it into being.

There is, therefore, just the same reason for the system of

action pursued by the abolition society, with reference to

this subject, that there is for the system of the temperance


society with regard to the curse of ardent spirits. The

institution and the effort are among the noblest forms of

benevolent action witnessed in the present age. We glory-

then in being an abolitionist, and count it all honor to bear

'the reproach for such a cause. It is the cause of God, and

it will prevail."

When the above sentiments were penned by Dr. Nevin,

the Presbyterian church, along with the other churches of

the country, was fully committed to the southern side of the

slavery question, and considered it a religious, as well as a

moral wrong, to meddle in the discussion of this question.

The leading religious newspapers were, likewise, hostile to

the anti-slavery movement in every form. All the ecclesi-

astioa!l judicatories, as well as the anniversary meetings of all

the great national religious societies, made it a point from

year to year to ostracise and repress, by all manner of

means, every attempt to get the question of slavery before

them. The merest whisper of abolitionism was enough to

throw a whole general assembly into agitation. In 183T

Dr. Nevin was unqualified in his dissent from the ecclesias-

tical policy which divided the Presbyterian church. In the

struggle between the two great parties in the church, his

sympathies were upon the side of the old school ; but he

nevertheless entertained the opinion, that the controversy on

that side was in certain quarters urged forward in an ex-

treme way. He deprecated especially, the idea of the Pitts-

burg Synod being forced to take part in the eastern quarrel

with regard to Mr. Barnes ; and he went so far as to urge

seriously, through the Christian Herald, Dr. Alexander's jDlan

of relatively independent Synodical jurisdiction. It was

during Dr. Nevin's connection with the Western Seminary

that he began the study of the German language, wliich he

has succeeded in mastering, and now reads with equal ease

and satisfaction as his vernacular. This study he undertook

in order to reach the contents of the theological and philo-

sophical works of the deep thinkers of Germany, the land of

profound erudition and ripe scholastic attainment. The first

work read by him in the German, was Neander's " Geist des

Tertullianus." Dr. Nevin by this time had become a man


widely reputed for his attainmeuts in biblical science, and as

a theologian of rare jDenetration and deep philosophical mind.

His reputation had far passed the boundary of his own re-

ligious persuasion. His services, therefore, became a prize

in the eyes of many, and he was tendered on the part of the

Synod of the German Eeformed church, the professorship of

theology in the theological seminary at Mercersburg, Pa.

In this call Dr. Nevin seemed to recognize the summons of

his Divine Master, to a field in which he might be able to

perform more effective service than in the one where he then

labored. Accordingly, after mature and serious delibei-ation,

he concluded to accept the position tendered him, and

entered upon the duties thereof in May, 18-iO.

This change of position was not considered to be of itself

any change of denominational faith. It was simply a tran-

sition from one section of the general Reformed Confession to

another, and took place accordingly with the full approba-

tion and favor of the friends of Dr. Nevin in the Presbyte-

rian church. It was under the advice and- recommendation

in particular, of his former theological instructor, the late

venerable Dr. Archibald Alexander, of Princeton. Still,

like change of position in all cases, it exerted a material in-

fluence on the subsequent progress of his spiritual life, and

becam.e thus a central epoch for his history. Without tak-

ing him out of the Reformed church, it widened his view of

its proper constitution and history, enlarged the range of his

German studies, brought him into new and closer communi-

cation with the theological life of the Lutheran Confession,

and in this way made room in his mind more and more for

a sense of the catholic, the historical, the objective in Chris-

tianity, which may be taken as the key to the whole course

of his thinking and working in the church afterwards, down

to the present time.

In the theological seminary at Mercersburg, he found

himself associated with the well-known German scholar,

Frederick Augustus Ranch, who was at the same time pres-

ident of Marshall college in the same place. The death of

Dr. Rauch, March 2d, 1841, left Dr. Nevin in sole charge of

the seminary, and made it necessary for hini besides to


assume tlie presidency of the college also ; a provisional

arrangement in the first place' wliieh, however, the wants of

the infant institution converted into a permanent one ; the

ofSce being held by Dr. Kevin, in fact, for ten years after-

wards without any salary.

In 1843 Dr. Nevin became involved in what has been

known as the ''anxious bench controversy," through the

publication of his tract called the Ari/r,ioui Bench, directed

against the use of certain means and methods (new measures),

employed extensively at the time among different denomina-

tions in the service of religious revivals. This may be

looked upon as the beginning of the movement which has

since come to be spoken of as the Mercersburg theology ; a

movement whose ultimate bearings and consequences were

not dreamed of at the time by either side in that first con-

troversy, while they can easily be seen since, nevertheless,

to lie all in one and the same direction. The controversy,

while it lasted, was carried on with great activity, partly

within the German Reformed church itself, but mainly iu

the end, as between this body and surrounding religious

communions.

The same view of Christianity which led to the publica-

tion of. the Anxious Bench, appears also in Dr. Nevin's

opposition to another new measure, as we have it represented

iu his tract on Religious Fairs, published towards the close

of the same year. This, however, was in the main but little

more than what he had published on that subject ten years

before, in Pittsburg.

In the fall of 1814 Dr. Nevin received as his colleague

in the seminary. Dr. Philip Schafi', who had been brought by

special call from Germany to fill the place whose name has

since become famous throughout the world, and who is nowhonored as professor of church history in the Presbyterian

theological seminary of New York. On the 25th of Octo-

ber this gentleman delivered his inaugural address at Read-

ing, in the German language, a truly able discussion of the

distinctive, original and fundamental meaning of the great

Eeformation of the sixteenth century. It was the first fair

attempt to vindicate the historical right of Protestantism in


this country, and went full against the unhistorical spirit

which has all along formed the life and strength of our

American sectarianism. This work Dr. Nevin translated

and published in 1845, under the title. The True Principle of

Protestantism as related to the Present State of the Church,

with an introduction from his own pen, and by Dr. Schaff's

particular desire, with the appendage also of a sermon on

Catholic Unity, preached by Dr. Nevin the previous year,

before a convention of the Dutch and German Reformed

churches in Harrisburg, the whole forming a volume ofmore

than 200 pages. Here, of course, was new offence to the

general sect-spirit of the land. Antipopery began to take

the alarm, and a formal attempt was made in a Synod held

at York, to make out a charge of heresy against the Mercers-

burg professors, particularly Dr. Schaff, but the result was

their triumphant vindication.

The following,year, 1846, Dr. Nevin published the " Mysti-

cal Presence; a vindication of the Reformed or Calvinistic

doctrine of the Holy Eucharist." This also led to contro-

versy. Strangely enough, Lutheranism, in certain cases,

contended against it by openly forsaking Luther, while

Presbyterianism did the same thing, by trying grossly to

falsify Calvin.

Looking in the same general direction, we have from the

pen of Dr. Nevin, in 1846, The Church, a sermon preached

at the opening of the German Reformed Synod, at Carlisle

;

in 1847, The History and Genius of the Heidelberg Catechism ;

and in 1848, a tract, entitled Antichrist, or the Spirit of Sect and

Schism,. From January, 1849, to January, 1853, he edited

the Mercershurg Revieiv, published by the alumni association

of Marshall college, being himself, during all this time, the

chief contributor to its pages. And he has written largely

since, also, for the same periodical, as well as for the Reformed

Church Messeiiger.

At the close of 1851 Dr. Nevin, much against the wish of

the church, resigned his situation as professor in the theo-

logical seminary, continuing however to act as president of

Marshall college until its removal to Lancaster, in 1853,

when it became consolidated with Franklin college, under

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. ilQ

the title of Franklin and Marshall college. He was offered

the presidency of this new institution, and the place wa3

kept vacant for a whole year, with the hope of his being

induced to accept it ; but in conformity with his previously

declared intention he declined the service, and withdrew into

private life, being now in truth much worn out, both in body

and mind, and not expecting to take upon him again any

public charge. He delivered, however, by special request,

a baccalaureate address to the first graduating class of the

new college, on the 31st of August, 1853, which was pub-

lished as a tract, under the title of MarCs True Destiny.

Leaving Mercersburg, after the removal of the college.

Dr. Nevin lived for a year in Carlisle, where he stood in

close and pleasant social relations with the professors of

Dickinson college. He then came to, Lancaster county,

residing for a year first in the city ; in the nest place, from

the fall of 1856 to the spring of 1858, making his home, for

domestic reasons, at Windsor Forge, near Churchtown, the

old mansion property of his wife's father ; and finally set-

tling himself permanently, where he has since continued to

reside, in the immediate neighborhood of Lancaster city, at

Caernarvon Place. Through these years he still continued to

preach frequently, and also to perform occasional work with

his pen. He had much to do, in particular, with the long

and difiBicult task of bringing to completion the new Liturgy,

which engaged for so many years the best energies of the

Eastern Synod of the German Reformed church.

In the end, as advancing age seemed to bring with it for

him a renewal rather than a decline of health and strength,

Dr. Nevin yielded to the desire there was to have him back

again in the college, and in the fall of 1861 took upon him

partial service in its faculty, as professor in particular of

History and Esthetics. Five years later, in 1866, he became

once more president of the institution, with full charge, a

position which he has continued to occupy since with all the

vigor of his best days. In connection with the Sunday

services, which devolve upon him as the pastor of the college

church, his department of instruction embraces now, mainly

by lectures, the Philosophy of History, the Principles of


Jifental, Moral and Social Science, and the Science of jEsthet-

ics in its modern German character and form.

No biographical account of Dr. Nevin, however brief,

can be complete without some notice taken of the so-called

Mercersburg system of theology, which it has been commonon all sides to associate with his name. This has never

claimed to be an original system or rounded whole in any

way ; neither has it owed its existence to any spirit of p)hi-

losophical speculation, as has sometimes been imagined. It

has grown forth historically from an interest in the felt

needs of the Christian life itself. Without going into details,

let it suffice here to present the following comprehensive

outline of the system, taken from an article on the subject

in vol. xii. of the new American Encycloiêedia, published

in 1863.

" The cardinal principle of the Mercersburg system, is the

fact of the incarnation. This, viewed not as a doctrine or

speculation, but as a real transaction of God in the world,

is regarded as being necessarily itself the sphere of Chris-

tianity, the sum and substance of the whole Christian re-

demption. Christ saves the world, not ultimately by what

He teaches, or by what He does, but by what He is in the

constitution of His person. His person, in its relations to the

world, carries in it the power of victory over sin, death, and

hell, the force thus of a real atonement or reconciliation be-

tween God and man, the triumph of a glorious resurrection

from the dead, and all the consequences for faith which are

attributed to this in the Apostles' Creed. In the most literal

sense, accordingly, Christ is here held to be ' the way, the

truth, and the life,' ' the resurrection and the life,' the prin-

ciple of 'life and immortality,' the 'light' of the world, its

' righteousness,' and its ' peace.' The ' grace which bringeth

salvation,' in this view, is of coarse always a real efi&uence

from the new order of existence, which has thus been called

into being by the exaltation of the Word made flesh at the

right hand of God. It must be supernatural as well as

natural, and the agency and organs by which it works, must,

in the nature of the case, carry with them objectively some-

thing of the same character and force. In this way the


church is an object of faith; the presence of tlie new' creation in the old world of nature ; the body of Christ,

through which as a medium and organ He reveals Himself

and works until the end of time. It mediates with super-

natural office, instrumentally, between Christ and His peo-

ple. Its ministers hold a divine power from Him by apos-

tolic succession. Its sacraments are not signs merely, but

the seals of the grace they represent. Baptism is for the re-

mission of sins. The eucharist includes the real presence of

Christ's whole glorified life, in a mystery, by the power of

the Holy Ghost. The idea of the church, when it is thus

held as an object of faith, involves necessarily the attributes

which were always ascribed to it in the beginning, unity,

sanctity, catholicity, and apostolicity. The spirit of sect, as

it cleaves to Protestantism at the present time, is a very

great evil, which is of itself sufficient to show that if Protest-

antism had any historical justification in the beginning, its

mission thus far has been only half fulfilled, and that it can

be rationally approved only as it is taken to be an interme-

diate preparation for some higher and better form of Chris-

tianity hereafter. The distinguishing character of the Mer-

cersburg theology, in one word, is its Christological interest,

its way of looking at all things through the person of the

crucified and risen Saviour. This, as the world now stands,

embraces necessarily all that enters into the conception of

the church question, which this system holds to be the great

problem for the Christianity of the present time."

These views in the nature of the case, could not be other-

wise than distasteful to much of the popular religionism of

the country. For years, accordingly, as is well known, it has

been the fashion in certain quarters to stigmatize them in the

most contradictory terms of reproach, as rationalism, mysti-

cism, pantheism, transcendentalism, Eomanism, Irvingism,

Swedenborgianism, and much else of like bad sound.

By Dr. Nevin himself the system has been maintained all

along as being, in his view, neither more nor less than the

simple theology of the Apostles' Creed. Among his moreimportant publications relating to it, and not yet named,

may be mentioned the following : 1. The Doctrine of the Re-


formed Church on the Presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper ;

an extended answer to Dr. Hodge's review of the " Mystical

Presence" in 1848. 2. The Apostles'' Creed: Its Origin, Con-

stitution and Plan, 1849. 3. Early Christianity, 1851. 4.

Cyprian, 1852. 5. The Dutch Crusade, 1854. 6. Review

of Dr. Hodges Commentary on the Ephesians, 1857. 7. The

Liturgical Question, 1862. 8. Christ, and Him Crucified; a

concio ad clerum, preached at the opening of the first gen-

eral Synod of the German Eeformed church in Pittsburg,

1863. 9. Vindication of the Revised Liturgy, 1867. 10.

Answer to Professor Dorner, of Berlin, Germany, 1868. 11.

Oncefor All ; based on a sermon preached before the Synod

at Danville, Pa., 1869. 12. Revelation and Redemption

;

opening sermon before the Synod at Mechanicsburg, 1870.

13. The Revelation of God in Christ ; anniversary discourse

before the theological seminary at Mercersburg, 1871. 14.

Christ and His Spirit, 1872. 15. Baccalaureate Discourse on

John Hi: 13, 1872.

Dr. Nevin, as a theologian, is one of no ordinary cast.

His strong dialectic acumen has led him far beyond the

range of mere theology, and has enabled him to unravel the

mazes that metaphysical subtilty has drawn around the

Christian faith. His own mind is a deeply metaphysical one,

and his profound inquiries into this department have led him

to scan the whole range of philosophy, and to investigate it

on the metaphysical side from Aristotle to Hegel, as well as

on the metaphysico -theological side, from Plato to Schleier-

macher. The argumentations and reasonings of an Origen,

an Augustine, an Anselm, and an Aquinas, are to him no

. longer mysteries. The thoughts of these world-renowned

thinkers he has made his own. Nor is he unfamiliar with

the range and results of modern German metaphysical ratio-

cination. He has, although an American, after having madehimself familiar with ancient forms of thought, and, after

grasping the results of the Kantian problems, kept pace with

the latest developments of the German mind. Like Jonathan

Edwards, unfavored with European university culture, who,

by his own innate strength of intellect, could grasp and

solve the problems of the philosophers of whom he had


never heard, and who ranks as the first metaphysician of his

century, the subject of our notice has also probed the depth

of the human understanding ; and to his comprehensive

mind metaphysical difl&oulties retire, and faith and reason

stand harmonized in gospel revelation. To Dr. Nevin will

history also accord, if not the highest niche in the temple of

the metaphysical fame of the century, at least a very high

one.

It is because he has made the different theological and

metaphysical systems so thoroughly his own, and has by

long usage and reading acquired their entire terminology,

(which has now became a part of his own thinking), that his

sermons and writings appear to those unfamiliar with such

forms of thought, mazy and unintelligible. Often will his

auditors confess that they do not comprehend his ideas.

This is not strange. Whoever comprehends in a remote

degree the vast revolution that theology has undergone in

Germany during the last one hundred years, will not be

surprised at this terminology made use of by Dr. Nevin. It

is necessary if he be true to the feelings of his own soul, that

he use no other manner of expression, for no other language

conveys the deep import of evangelical truth as illuminated

by the christological and philosophical developments of later

ages. Not that any new truth is thereby promulgated, but

modern thought is but fully awakening to the full comprehen-

sion of the great truths of revelation ; those truths that ages

ago to the mental eye of a St. Anselm and a Duns Scotus

were looming into view. These intellectual giants were

simply ages in advance of their times, and the moderns are

but beginning to recognize the truths they so fervently at-

tested.

Later ages, as they will come to take up in their con-

science-preceptions, the discoveries of those now standing

upon the highest pinnacles of mental vision, will see the

rectitude of doctrines that are being promulgated and that

are now so seemingly obscure. And in the march of ages,

instead of Dr. John W. Nevin being found to have been the

advocate of pantheistic absorption, he will gradually be ele-

vated upon a pedestal in the Schleiermacherian school along


with the brave leaders who strove to turn aside by the light

of scientific and philosophical progress the stream of human-

itarian error, and enable the faithful soldiers of the cross to

capture the great Babylon of modern infidelity.

Dr. Nevin, as a critical scholar, has but few equals. Hereads the Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French and German, with

ease. Before taking up the study of German, he chiefly read

theological works in the Latin; but for many years past,

since his mastery of the German, he reads the most theo-

logical works in this latter language. In this he has perused

the master-pieces of modern composition. He has a fine

memory, and therefore retains most that he reads. His

articles upon "Cyprian and His Age," published in the

Mercershurg Review, evince his deep stady of ancient Christi-

anity, and are of themselves sufficient to give him a high

rank in the theological world. They are quoted and cited

as standard authority even in Europe.

Dr. Nevin, deservedly, is entitled to rank amongst the

first, if not as the very first theologian and metaphysician

of America, after Jonathan Edwards. Had circumstances

thrown him in a diflerent sphere, where vast libraries would

have surrounded him, and should he have chosen the field

of history, he might have ranked with Mosheim and Neander.

Choosing, however, to keep aloof from great metropolitan

centres, he has attained to the merited distinction of being

intelligently ranked amongst the first thinkers of his age

;

and after generations will universally concede to him a place

in the category of a De Wette, a Dorner, a Daub, and at

Marheineke.

In conversation, he is exceedingly entertaining, especially

when the subject turns upon metaphysical questions ; for in

this department he seems especially at home. Any question

propounded in theology or metaphysics will receive a minute

and leno'thy explanation, which serves more than all else to

show the great depth and wonderful profundity of his mind.

German, French and English schools of philosophy and the-

ology will be cited, their diverging opinions presented and

compared, and the correct conclusions of reason educed

therefrom. In his lectures to the students of his classes, his


breadtli of mind and compreiiensive grasp of the subject in

hand are constantly apparent. In his deportment no trivi-

ality is ever perceptbile, but a gravity upon all occasions

marks his demeanor.

In personal appearance Dr. Nevin is tall, spare and slen-

der, and in the pulpit is not at once attractive. In his delivery

of a sermon no indications of oratory appear. He is by no

means fluent, and none but those who can follow an argument

are much attracted by his preaching. His sermons, however,

are pregnant with thought from beginning to end, showing

complete mastery of his subject and great research. He has

ever been a close student, and this his appearance indicates.

Thought is marked upon every lineament of his countenance.

NISSLBY, C. H., elected County Commissioner in 1866.

NISSLEY FAMILY. Jacob Nissley, the original set-

tler of this family, came to this country at an early day

and settled in Mt. Joy township. He had five children

—

two sons and three daughters, viz : John, married a Sechrist,

Martin, a Snyder ; the daughters married, one a man namedBuhrman, another an Eversole, and the other a Steward.

John had six sons and one daughter, viz : Michael, Abra-

ham;John, married to a Hertzler, born 1746 and died 1825

;

Jacob, father of Martin, of Conewago, died 1796 ; Eev. Sam-

uel, his wife a Kreider, born 1761, died 1888;Martin, his wife

a Lehman, born 1763, died 1825 ; and Fanny, her husbands,

a Frantz, a Long, and a Hiestand, born 1759, died 1813. Thechildren of Eev. John, of Paxton, were : Jacob, his wife, a

Nissley;John, his wife, an Ober ; Martin, his wife, a Landis,

born 1786, died 1868 ; and Maria, her husbands, a Frantz

and Eudy Martin. Jacob Nissley's children were: Martin,

married to a Kjeider; Fanny, to C. Mumma, born 1789;

Elizabeth, to Long and Hershey, born 1794; and Maria, to

a Bear, born 1784. The family of Eev. Samuel Nissley

were: John, (Eapho), married to a Hershey, born 1786,

died 1847 ; Martin, married to a Bomberger,born 1788 ; Sem,

married to an Eby, born 1792, died 1868 ; Eev. Christian,

married to a Bomberger, born 1794; Jacob, (Sporting Hill),

married to a Witmer ; Henry, married to a Nissley; and

Fanny, married to Jonas Eby, born 1798, died 1839. The30


family of Martin Nissley, (of Paxton), are : John, married to

a Eupp ; Samuel, married to a Wissler ; Maria, married to a

Heiges; and Catharine, married to an Overholt. The family

of Martin, (of Middletowu), are : Nancy, born 1808, died 1841

;

John, married to a Heiges, born 1811 ; Martin, born 1812;

Felix, born 1814, died 1864 ; Mary, born 1816, died 1847

;

Fanny, born 1820 ; Isaac, born 1822 ; Solomon, born 1825

;

Jacob, born 1828; and Joseph Herman, born 1881. The

family of John, (Rapho), are : Elizabeth, married to C. New-comer, born 1808 ; Nancy, married to Levi Eby, born 1810,

died 1866 ; Fanny, married to C. Nolt, born 1812 ; John,

married to B. Gerber, born 1819 ; Catharine, married to John

Musser, born .1827 ; Sarah, born 1829, and died 1843. Thefamily of Martin Nissley, (Rapho), are : Martha, married to

Sem Brubaker, born 1814; Barbara, married to|J. W. Niss-

ley, born 1818, died 1868;Nancy, married to Emanuel Cas-

sel, born 1819, died 1845;Fanny, married to J. W. Snyder,

born 1821 ; and Maria, married to Benjamin Musser, born

1824. The family of Sem Nissley, (Rapho), are : Henry,

married to Ann Hostetter, born 1814, died 1851 ; Fanny,

married to Samuel Snyder, born 1816 ; Christian, married to

a Brenemau, born 1818 ; Samuel, married to Long and

Hershey, born 1818 ; Jonas, born 1821, died 1848 ; Benja-

min, married to Susan Stauffer, born 1823 ; Catharine, born

1826 ; and David, married to a Eutt, born 1829. The fam-

ily of Rev. Christian Nissley, (Chiques), are : Samuel, born

1817, died 1824 ; Joseph, married to Martha Sherch, born

1821 ; Christian, born 1825, died 1844 ; Martin B., born

1829 ; Martha, married to Andrew Gerber,' born 1818.

Abraham Nissley moved from Conoy to Franklin county in

1800, and died in 1823. He had six children—three sons

and three daughters, viz : Elizabeth, married to Samuel

Ott ; Jacob, married to Susanna Eutt ; Mary, married to

Jacob Leidig ; Herman, married to Elizabeth Witmer

;

Joseph, married to Sarah Schwartz ; and Fanny, married to

Abraham Metz, born 1800, died 1838. The family of Mar-

tin Nissley, (Mt. Joy) ; he had two wives, the first a Snyder,

and the second a Stauffer ; and eight children—four sons

and four daughters, viz : Jacob, married to a Detwiler

;


Martin, married to Barbara Reist, bora 1747, died 1799

;

John, married to Gertrude Shearer ; and E. Neff, born 1750,

died 1819 ;Christian, married to a Staufter, and Catharine

Bossier, born 1759, died 1822;Barbara, married to a Shelly

;

Anna, married to Abraham Staufter, of Fayette county, born

1752, died 1817 ; Fanny, married to J. Shallenberger, of

Ohio, born 1756, died 1840 ; Maria, married to Christian

Musser, born 1763, died 1811. The family of Jacob Nissley,

(Dauphin county), are : Martin, married to a Rutt ; Barbara,

married to J. Hershey, of Swatara, born 1773, died 1828;

Esther, married to Jacob Nissley, of Highspire;and Fanny,

married to Joseph Bossier. The family of Martin Nissley,

(Dauphin county), are : Jacob, married to Charlotte Books;

Martin, married to E. Mumma ; Esther, married to Abra-

ham Long, of Franklin county, born 1799, died 1865. The

family of Martin Nissley, jr., (Mt. Joy township), are : Anna,

married to Jacob Stauffer, born 1774, died 1856 ; Rev.

Christian, married to Maria Kreybill, born 1777, died 1831

;

Rev. Martin, married to Anna Witmer, born 1784, died

1834 ; Peter, born 1787, died 1799 ; Barbara, born 1780,

died 1799 ; Veronica, born 1792, died 1799.

The family of Rev. Christian Nissley and of his wife, Maria

Kreybill, are: John, married to Barbara Snyder, born 1800;

Rev. Peter, married to a Witmer, a Kreider, aad a Sherch,

born 1802;Jacol', married to Elizabeth Krej^bill, born 1808,

died 1862 ;and Barbara, born 1812, died 1812. The family

of deacon John Nisslej', sr., (Mt. Joy,) and his wife, B.

Snyder, are : Henry S. Nissley, married to Anna B. Reist,

born 1827 ; Mary S., married to Martin W. Nissley, born

1828 ; Fanny S., married to C. K. Hostetter, born 1832

;

Christian S., married to Mary N. Eby, born 1835 ; Sarah S.,

born 1837;John S., married to Sarah N. Eby, born 1839

;

and Barbara S., married to Samuel S. Garver, born 1843.

The family of Rev. Peter Nissley, of East Donegal, are

:

Mary K., married to Solomon L. Swartz, born 1830, died

1856 ; Esther K., born 1832, died 1853 ; John K., married to

Maria B. Reist, born 1834; Leah K., married to David L.

Miller, born 1835; Christian K., born 1838, died 1867;

Barbara K., married to C. F. Hostetter, born in 1840;


Catharine K., born 1844, died 1862 ; Anna K., born

died 1850. The family of Jacob Nissley, of Mt. Joy town-

ship, and Elizabeth Kreybill, his wife, are: Christian, born

1830, died 1833; Jacob K., married to Anna Eissor, born

1831 ; Martha, married to Elias Eby, born 1883 ; Amos,

born 1835, died 1843 ; Barbara, married to Jonas E. Hostet-

ter, born 1837 ; Mary, born 1839, died 1842 ; Catharine,

married to Michael H. Bugle, born 1840 ; Elizabeth, mar-

ried to David Eutt, born 1843 ; Anna, married to Jacob

Good, born 1845;Samuel, born 1847, died 1855 ; Eebecca,

married to Jacob Mumma, born 1848 ; and Simon K.. born

1854. The family of Hans or John Nissley, who lived on

the first mansion farm,- his first wife being Gertrude Shearer,

born 1754, died 1794; and his second, Elizabeth Neff, born

1757, died 1815, are : Martin, (miller,) married to E. Hershey,

born 1784, died 1854; Henry, married to Elizabeth Hershey,

born 1795, died 1860 ; Abraham, married to Nancy Wissler,

born 1798; Samuel, married to Mary Hershey, born 1800;

Barbara died single ; Fanny, married to C. Witmer, born

1779, died 1807 ; Gertrude, married to David Eversole, born

1780, died 1821 ; Anna, born 1782, died unmarried, 1861

;

Elizabeth, married to Peter Kreybill, born 1787, died 1826

;

Mary, married to Christian Kreybill, born 1790. Family of

Martin Nissley, (miller,) of Mt. Joy township, are: Eliza-

beth, married to Jacob Eutt, born 1813, died 1858 ; Anna,

married to Christian Mumma, born 1815; Maria, married to

Christian Eissor, born 1816; Barbara, married to Joseph

Wolgamuth, born 1819 ; Fanny, married to Joseph Eissor,

born 1820; Susan, born 1823, died 1823; Christian H.,

married to Barbara Lindemuth, born 1824 ; Martin, born

1826, died 1843 ; Catharine, married to Jacob Eissor, born

1828, died 1852. The family of Henry Nissley, of Mt. Joy

township, and his wife, Elizabeth Hershey, born 1795, are

:

John H., married to Anna Gisch, born 1820, died 1867;

Henry H., married to Jane Wolgamuth, born 1822;Chris-

tian, married to Anna Wanner, born 1824, died 1866; Isaac,

born 1825, died 1860 ; Abraham H., married to Susan Gar-

ber, born 1828; David, born 1831, died 1852; Mary, mar-

ried to Abraham Eissor, born 1819; Elizabeth, married to


Jacob Slienk, born 1825. The family of Abraham Nissley,

of Mt. Joy township, and his wife, Nancy Wissler, born

1800, died 1867, are : John W., married to Elizabeth Berry,

born 1823 ; Jacob W., married to Mary Lindemuth, bora

1825 ; Anna, married to Henry Breneman, born 1827 ; Mary,

married to Peter Gisch, born 1831 ; Fanny, married to

Abraham Bachman, born 1833 ; Henry W., married to a

Miss Horst, born 1835; Abraham W., born 1838; Daniel,

married to Elizabeth Musser, born 1810, died 1867 ; and

Sarah, married to Henry Heisey, born 181:2. The family of

Sainuel Nissley, of Mt. Joy township, and his wife, Maria

Hershey, are : Joseph H., married to Mary Brubaker, born

1826 ; Samuel H., born 1831 ; Elizabeth, born 1835, died

1867; Mary, born 1837, died 18-18. The family of Christian

Nissley, (above Maytown), first married to a Stauffer, and

next to Catharine Bossier, are: John, married to Mary Her-

shey, born 1788, died 1823 ; Christian, married to Fanny

Hershey, born 1790, died 1822 ; Jacob, married to MaryMiller, born 1797, died 1869 ;

Martin, married to AnnaBachman, born 1798, died 1833

;Joseph B., married to Mary

Snyder, born 1804, died 1857 ; Nancy, born 1791, died 1809;

and Barbara, man'ied to Jacob Kreybill, (miller), born 1795,

died 1814. The family of John B. Nissley, near Bossier's

meeting-house, are : Catharine, married to John Engle, bora

1809, died 1871 ; Rev. Jacob H., married to a Brubaker,

born 1810 ; Elizabeth, married to Benjamin Martin, bopn

1811 ; Barbara, married to an Eshleman, born 1813, died

1841 ; John, married to a Brubaker, born 1815, died 1849;

Christian, married to a Musser, born 1820, died 1S49

;

and David, born 1824, died 1824. The family of Jacob

Nissley, of Cumberland, and his wife, Mary Miller, born

1802, are : Elizabeth, married to an Eberly, and afterwards

a Sener, born 1819 ; Benjamin, married to a Felsenhard, born

1821; Jacob, married to Leah Fetroe, born 1824; David,

married to Anna Brintle, born 1827 ; Maria, married to a

Belshoffer, born 1829 ; and Christian, married to MaryMarkle, born 1834. The family of Martin Nissley and his

•wife, Anna Bachman, born 1799, are: Peter B., married to

a Huffman, afterwards a Huffert, born 1823, died 1869

;


Nancy, born 1825, died 1830 ; Christian, married to Christi-

ana Hilty, born 1827 ; Daniel B., married to Sallie Linde-

muth, born 1829; and Jacob, born 1831, died 1851. Thefamily of Joseph B. Nissley, (Donegal meeting-house), and

his wife, Mary Snyder, born 1808, are: Samuel S., married

to Martha Kreider, born 1830; John S., born 1832, died

1839; Joseph S., married to Maria Stauffer, born 1834, died

1861; Catharine, married to Christian Stauiier, born 1838,

died 1863 ; Mary, married to Abtam Euth, born 1842, died

1869 ; and Elizabeth, born 1849, died 1850. The family of

Eev. Martin Nissley, of Donegal, and his wife, Anna Witmer,

are: Anna, married to Joseph Eversole, born 1811 ; Joseph

W., married to Barbara Nissley, born 1813; Barbara, mar-

ried to Daniel Heisey, born 1816, died 1862;Fanny, married

to Jacob Snyder, born 1818 ; Maria, married to Philip

Greiner, born 1820; and Martin W., married to MaryNissley, born 1824.

NISSLEY, Jacob, elected a member of the Legislature in

1849 and 1850.

NOBLE, William, elected a member of the Legislature

in 1835.

NORTH, Hugh M., was born in Juniata county. Pa. Heread law in New Berlin, Union county, in the office of Hon.

Joseph Casey, Chief Justice of the Court of Claims at Wash-ington city, D. C. He was admitted to the bar in 1849. Helocated at Columbia, Lancaster county. Pa., about the year

1850, and engaged in the pursuits of the profession in which

he has been employed up to this time. He was elected to

the Legislature in 1854, serving one session. He was dele-

gate to the National Democratic Convention at Charleston and

Baltimore in 1860, and represented Pennsylvania on the com-

mittee of credentials. He was the Democratic candidate for

Congress in 1864. He has served as a member of the

Columbia school board for upwards of thirteen years, and

for a time filled the position of president of that body. He

has been for years the confidential solicitor of several banks

and other corporations, and has for some time been the

solicitor of the Pennsylvania Railroad company. Mr. North

is an assiduous, industrious and persevering business man^


and has at this time a large and lucrative practice, and can be

regarded as a man of means and independence. He is a

sound, well-read lawyer, and prepares and tries a cause well.

o.

OBER, Michael, was elected a member of the Legislature

in the year 1860.

OLD, jAitES, was one of the early iron-masters of Lan-

caster county, and an influential and leading man in his day.

He was elected a member of the Legislature in the years

1791, 1792 and 1793.

ORTH, Adam, elected a member of the Legislature in

1783-84.

OVERHOLTZER, Henry D., a member of the Legisla-

ture in 1826.

OWEN, Benjamin, a member of the Legislature in 1821.

P.

PARKE, Samuel, was a member of the Lancaster bar,

admitted in the year 1820. He was a leading lawyer for

many years, and was a man of considerable influence in po-

litical movements. He was elected a member of the Legis-

lature in the years 1829-30. We find the following notice

of him, written February 18th, 1840

:

" The lecture of Mr. Parke on ' Matter,' delivered before the Mechan-

ics' Institute on last Thursday evening, was listened to with profound

attention. The originality of his remarks respecting the formation of

coal beds, mountains and valleys, gave this production a degree of in-

terest of which lectures in general are not possessed. The subject

throughout was managed in the most skillful manner, fully sustaining

the high reputation which Mr. Parke enjoys as an able writer.''

PARR, William, was a native of England, who emi-

grated to America at an early day, and settled in Lancaster.

He read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1752. He was


elected a member of the Legislature in the year 1783. Hewas a man of considerable ability, and was noted in his. day

as a skilled marksman.

^PASSMOEE, John, a citizen of Lancaster, and a man of

remarkable corporeal proportions, weighing about 450 lbs.

He was appointed by Governor Snyder, in 1809, prothono-

tary of the Lancaster district of the supreme court, com-

prising the counties of Lancaster, Berks, York and Dauphin.

He was, in 1818, appointed one of the aldermen of the city

of Lancaster, and the same year was elected the first mayor of

the city, a position to which he was twice reelected, discharg-

ing the duties of the office for three years.

PATTBESON, Arthur, a member of the Legislature in

years 1743, 1744, 1745, 1746, 1747, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1751,

1752, 1753 and 1764.

PATTEESON", D. W.," is a native of Lancaster county,

and a graduate of Washington College, Pennsylvania. Heread law, and was admitted to the bar in the year 1842. Hewas elected a member of the Legislature in the year 1846.

In the year 1858 he was elected District Attorney of Lan-

caster county, the duties of which he discharged for three

years. He is engaged in the pursuits of his profession.

PATTEESON (James) FAMILY. James Patterson was

born in the north of Ireland in 1708, and emigrated to

America in 1828, and settled in Lancaster county. He was

a farmer by occupation. He married Mary Montgomery,

and had the following children, viz. : William, born March

14th, 1733, died June 29th, 1818; John, Hannah, Mary,

Samuel, Jane, Isabella, James, born November 14th, 1745,

died August 17th, 1825;Elizabeth and Thomas, born Feb-

ruary 1st, 1754, died March 28th, 1829. James Patterson,

the first settler, died in Little Britain township in 1792.

William Patterson, son of the first settler, married

Eosanna Scott, by whom he had the following children : Mary,

born January 7th, 1759; Moses, born October 16th, 1760;

Samuel, born October 7th, 1762 ;Thomas, born October 1st,

1764, died November 17th, 1841 ; and James, born March

1st, 1767. He, after the death of his first wife, married


Elizabeth Brown, born March 16th, 1747, diedJanuary 30th,

1826. With his second wife he had the following children:

John, born February 10th, 1771 ; Rosanna, born December

81, 1772 ; WiUiam, born April 8th, 1775, died September

20th 1844; Nathaniel, born 1777; Rachel, born June 3d,

1778, died January 9th, 1817; Elizabeth, born January 8th,

1781 ; Josiah, born November 10th, 1783, died February,

1843; Hannah, born May 22d, 1786; Nathan, born Septem-

ber 11th, 1788, died February, 1846; and Eleanor, born

October 17th, 1792. William Patterson settled in Wash-

ington county, Pa. Two of his sons, John and Thomas,

were members of Congress during the contest between

Jackson, Adams, and Crawford for the presidency.

John Patterson, second son of the first settler, was a

farmer in Little Britain township, but late in life removed to

Ohio. He was married to Eleanor Milligan, and had the

following children: Mary, born April 24, 1765; James, Mar-

tha, John, Hannah, Eleanor, William and Elizabeth.

Samuel Patterson, third son of the first settler, lived in

Little Britain township, where he also died. He married

Mary Wylie, and had two children, Elizabeth and Mary.

The first married Dr. Smith, of Westmoreland county. Pa.,

and left a large family.

James Patterson, fourth son of the first settler, lived in

Little Britain township, and was a member of the Legisla-

ture in the yea,rs 1802, 1803 and 1804. He married Letitia

Gardner, and had the following children: Isabella, born

April 29, 1783; died December 24, 1818; Francina, born

May 17, 1785; died December 1, 1828; Robert, born March

21st, 1787, died March 31, 1861; Mary, horn April 17,

1789, died May 1, 1848 ; Elizabeth, born April 26, 1791,

died July 26, 1830; Jane, born February 28, 1794; James,

born March 7, 1796; Letitia, born May 29, 1798, died No-

vember 12, 1823; Rachael, born May 20, 1803.

Thomas Patterson, fifth son of the first settler, married

Mary Tannehill, by whom he had the following children

:

Rebecca, born August 13th, 1778 ; Elizabeth, born March18th, 1780; Samuel, born March 3d, 1782; Nathan, born


February 20th, 1784; died January 24th, 1792; Mary, born

March 3d, 1786; died June 5th, 1854; Margaret, born June

10th, 1788; died March, 1821; Thomas, born February

ISth, 1790; died July 30, 1857 ;James, born January 11th,

1792; and Jane, born May 10th, 1796.

PATTERSON (Arthur) FAMILY. This branch of

the name in Lancaster county, all descended from Arthur

Patterson, who emigrated from the north of Ireland in 1724,•

and settled, with his wife, (who was Ann Scott,) the same

year, on the banks of the Big Chiquesalunga, in Rapho

township, Lancaster county, then a wilderness. He pur-

chased and located a large tract of land and commenced

farming. He had acquired in the old country the trade of

blacksmithing, and which trade he found almost indispensa-

ble to the success of farming, after coming to this country.

Mechanics of all kinds were then very scarce here, not less

so the blacksmith; and Arthur Patterson, at first for his ownconvenience and economy, performed his own smithing;

afterwards the wants of his neighbors and the settlements,

still farther vyest of him, demanding it, he carried on the

blacksmithing very extensively, in connection with his farm-

ing. Often did it occur that the farmers composing the set-

tlement in Cumberland valley, in the vicinity of Carlisle,

sent their plow-irons, i&c, on pack-horses, all the way downto Arthur Patterson's, to be sharpened and repaired, the

messenger waiting until they were done, then would return,

taking them with him. Arthur died leaving nine children,

four sons and five daughters. One son, Arthur, the youngest,

died while quite young ; Samuel, James and William grew

up to manhood, and all served their country in the war of

the Revolution. The latter was taken prisoner by the

British, and died while held a prisoner in tlie prison-ship, on

Delaware bay, the fate of many of our patriotic army whowere unfortunate enough to be taken prisoners, and where

the American officers openly charged the British with de-

liberate murder, by means of supplying their prisoners' with

unhealthy and spoiled food. Samuel and James both sur-

vived their campaigns; the last severe conflict they partici-

pated in being the battle of Princeton, after which James


returned home, having in charge the prisoners taken by our

forces in that engagement. They were also members of the

committee of safety for Lancaster county, in 1775, a

body chosen from the several townships to concert measures

to defeat the machinations of the tories, and to resist the

unjust and tyrannical edicts of the British Parliament. James

also served several sessions in the Provincial Assembly of

Penn.iylvania.

Samuel Pattebsox, son of Arthur, married Martha

Agnew, and died November 15, 1820, at the advanced age

of 93 years, having left four children, Arthur, Eebecca,

James and Samuel. Arthur married Elizabeth Moore, and

died, leaving two^daughters, one of whom married Beiijamin

Osbourne; and left two sons, James and Patterson Osbourne,

who reside now in Ohio ; the other died young. Eebecca

married Eev. Matthew Henderson ; James married Eliza-

beth Witherow, and died near Mount Joy, October 29, 1852,

and left two children, viz : Sarah, who died in her • 18th

year, and Samuel Smith Patterson, who is still living, and

now a citizen of Sterling, Illinois, where, by engaging first

in merchandizing and latterly in banking, he has acquired

large wealth, and is much respected for his amiable qualities

. of character. He had married Mary McJimsey, by whomhe had a large family, six of whom still survive, viz : five

sons, all successful business men, Joseph M., James B.,

Smith, Frank and John ; and one daughter, Martha Eebecca,

who married Doctor Thos. Gait, once a citizen of this county,

and now residing in Eock Island, Illinois. Samuel Smith

Patterson succeeded his father. Major James Patterson, at

farming, near Mount Joy, and spent a large part of his life

there, taking an active part in local and State civil affairs.

He ably represented Lancaster county in the State Legisla-

ture for two successive sessions, in the years of 1834-35.

His son, Samuel, married' Mary Ann McJimsey, and

died October 27th, 1831, at his farm, below Mount Joy,

leaving ten children, six sons and four daughters. Of the

sons, Samuel Patterson, now a successful merchant of Mari-

etta, is the sole survivor. John Patterson, late of Mount

Joy, and a successful and much-esteemed coal and lumber


merchant there, was another son ; also James M., and Thos.

Jefferson Patterson, formerly of Mount Joy. Robert died

young, as did S. Alexander and Elizabeth. Martha inter-

married with Thomas Sterrett, Mary Ann with Jas. B. Fer-

ree, and Eebecea Jane with William Spangler.

William Patterson, son of Arthur, who died a prisoner,

had married Elizabeth Dysart, and left three children;one a

daughter, Eleanor, who married Alexander Dysart, and set-

tled in Huntingdon county, where some of her descendants

still reside, respected by all who knew them; and two sons:

Arthur, the father of William, Douglass and Alexander

Patterson, the two latter now residents of Mount Joy, the

former residing in the west, and several daughters; and

Alexander, who died February 2d, 1842, and who intermar-

ried with Jane Pedan, leaving three children, two of whomdied young ; and one, a daughter, Sarah, grew up to woman-hood, and married Abrm. Hatfield, both now residing in

Chester county. Pa. The daughters of Arthur were five

:

Catharine, married Robert Hays ; Elizabeth married Mr. J.

Thomas ; Eleanor married Ephraim Moore ; Jane and Re-

becca died unmarried.

James Patterson, son of Arthur, intermarried with Mar-

garet Agnew, by whom he had nine children, viz : Arthur,

who married Mary Witherow, died September, 1822,

leaving seven children, and whose three sons located in

Franklin county, Pa. ; Rebecca intermarried with James

Scott, and again as a widow, married Col. James Agnew, of

Bedford county. Pa. ; James, who married Mary Watson,

died May 80th, 1863, leaving seven children ; Martha,

"who intermarried with John Scott, lived and died in

Washington county. Pa., where she left a large family ; Sam-

uel, who married and resided in Steubenville, Ohio, where he

died, leaving one child, Samuel; Margaret, who married

John McConaughy, a lawyer of Grettysburg, Pa., had

five children, viz : Robert and David, both of whom studied

and practiced law in Adams county, the latter of whomrepresented that district in the Senate of Pennsylvania for

three years, commencing in 1868. James resides in Johns-

town, Pa., and successfully carries on a large steam tannery.

or LANCASTER COUNTY. 437

Hannah Mary intermarried with the Hon. Moses McClean,

an attorney of Adams county, who represented that dis-

trict in the United States Congress. Elizabeth married

Prof. M. S. Stoever, late of Gettysburg college ; and Eme-

hne married the Rev. D. Wilson ; the three remaining

children of James, Ann, William, who was a physician;

John died unmarried. The foregoing constitute the greater

portion of four generations, descending from their ancestor,

Arthur Patterson.

PATTEESON, Col. James, the subject of this sketch,

was born in Rapho township, Lancaster county, Pennsylva-

nia, on the 7th day of October, 1775, and died, after a brief

illness, in Mount Joy, where -he spent his last years, after

retiring from farming on the 30th of May, 1863, in the 88th

year of his age. He was the son of James Patterson of

revolutionary times, who was a devoted soldier in that war in

behalf of the colonies. His grandfather was Arthur Patterson,

who emigrated from Dom. gal county, Ireland, in 1721, and

settled in Eapho township, Lancaster county, where he after-

wards lived and died. Col. James, therefore, sprang from

Scotch-Irish ancestors, and was one of a family of nine

children. His father being a farmer, his son James was reared

to out-door labor and exercise, and in consequence grew up

to manhood with a strong and vigorous constitution. In

the days of his boyhood there were no common schools,

and the opportunities to obtain even a good common school

education, were exceedingly limited. The entire time

afforded to him to acquire learning in school, was all em-

braced in the short period of ten months. At the age of

about fifteen years, and just on the eve of the troubles

incited by the whiskey insurrection in Western Pennsylva-

nia, his father died, and he was left without the directing

hand and cherishing culture of paternal affection. His older

brother, Arthur, and the adult population generally of his

native section, being shortly after called out to military

service by the United States government, to quell the

whiskey insurrection, James was left to take the sole charge

and direction of a large farm, and to manage it the best he

could. This, and the many incidental responsibilities, threw


him quite young in life on his own resources, and gave him

a maturity in experience and a decision of character, long

before he attained to years of "manhood. As may be sup-

posed, therefore, when he arrived at adult age he had ac-

quired an enviable reputation amongst his neighbors for

good practical common sense, and fearless candor in express-

ing his convictions. These traits, united with a natural

cheerful disposition and genial social qualities, caused him

to be held in high esteem by all his neighbors. Although

deprived of school privileges, and his time devoted to con-

stant labor, his love of learning made him seek opportunities

for acquiring knowledge. This, added to fine natural abili-

ties, gave him great success in -acquiring information on all

topics. His stock of knowledge and experience made him

a wise counsellor and a judicious adviser; and on manyoccasions, both of public and private interests, his counsel

was sought and obtained. On attaining to his majority he

took charge of his own farm, and commenced clearing away

the heavy timber and erecting the necessary buildings. In

the year 1805 he was united in marriage to Mary Watson, a

daughter of the late Dr. John Watson, of Donegal. By her

he had seven children. One, a son, died in his youth ; another,

a daughter, died just as she verged into womanhood. The

five remaining children grew up to mature years, four of

whom still survive—James A. Patterson, whose occupation

was that of a farmer, but now retired and residing in MountJoy; David W. Patterson, a member of the legal profession

at the Lancaster bar ; Harriet B., now the wife of Dr. J. L.

Zeigler, of Mount Joy;Rachel J. Patterson, and the remain-

ing daughter, Anna Mary, who was intermarried with Robert

S. Mcllvain, of Paradise township, and died in the year 1855.

No man excelled Col. Patterson in public spirit and disin-

terested sacrifice for the public good. He occupied important

positions, both civil and military. When the war of 1812,

between this country and Great Britain broke out, he

immediately left his farm and family and volunteered for the

war. A battalion of troops having been raised by his exer-

tions. Gen. Nathaniel Watson, major-general of the division,

composed of Lancaster and York counties, commanding,


made Col. Patterson (then major) one of the aids on his staff.

He remained in the service until peace was declared, having

most of that time commanded a regiment of Pennsylvania

'volunteers as lieutenant-colonel, and returned home holding

that commission. For a decade of years after that war, the

whole country, encouraged by liberal legislation, were active

in developing the militia system, then high in popular favor,

for home defence. Col. Patterson took a prominent part in

organizing and commanding that strong arm of the Repub-

lic. While his taste led him to take part in military

matters, a pure patriotism seemed to be the motor of his

action. An instance of that may be remembered by manyyet living. When the South inaugurated the late unnatural

and terrible rebellion. Col. Patterson, although then in his

eighty-sixth year, said with all seriousness, " I wish I was a

little younger, I would go out myself and defend the life of

our government."

In the civil affairs of his native State, he always took a

deep interest. Feeling the want of educational advantages

in his youth, he expressed the deepest anxiety to see those

advantages placed within the reach of all. These convic-

tions made him a warm and active supporter of our benefi-

cent common school system, declaring that school-tax was

the cheapest tax that any citizen could pay. As all know,

the school system was at first left to a vote of the people of

the several townships. This feature caused many warmcontests at the polls, in which Col. P. always took the side

of free schools, although his own children were at the time

all advanced in their studies beyond the then standard of

common school education. Col. P. represented Lancaster

county in our State Legislature in the session of 1817-18,

and again for two successive sessions of 1882-33 and 1833-

34, taking an active part in the political questions of that

period. But the occupation of his life—farming—was his

favorite pursuit. He largely gave his personal attention

and labor to his farms; read extensively on the subject;

studied the nature of the soil, and the character of the fer-

tilizers best adapted to produce the highest state of cultiva-

tion. And his neat farming and abundant crops, showed


the wisdom of his conclusions. With him has gone another

of the landmarks between the present and the past, and he

is no longer seen amid his native and long-life familiar sur-

roundings. His last days, as well as his last moments of

dissolution, were calm and peaceful, for the well-grounded

faith of the Christian believer did not forsake him. His

remains rest in the old Donegal churchyard, with the dust

of his fathers ; and a long, honorable and useful life is at an

end. Our forefathers are at rest, a worthy band whose fine

virtues, honest purpose and high-toned morality make their

memories a richer legacy to their children than gold or silver,

or even the daring deeds of heroism.

PATTEESON, James, was elected County Commissioner

in 1S09.

PATTERSON, Thomas, elected County Commissioner in

1845.

PAXSON, Joseph, was elected County Commissioner in

1838 and 1840. He was also elected a member of the

Legislature in 1844.

PAXSON, Rev. William, was born in Lancaster county,

April 1st, 1760. He devoted the early part of his life to

agricultural employments, and served in two companies at

different times during the revolutionary war, in one of which

he was present, and participated in the battle of Trenton.

His love for knowledge afterwards induced him to seek the

advantages of a liberal education, and he began his prepara-

tory course when twenty-four years of age, in the Strasburg

academy, then taught by the Rev. Nathaniel W. Sample.

He never obtained the advantages of a collegiate education,

but by diligent study he laid a foundation upon which he

accumulated a more than ordinary amount of knowledge,

literary, scientific and theological. He was taken under the

care of the New Castle Presbytery, April 29th, 1789, and

having passed, with great credit, through the several trials

assigned him, he was licensed on the 8th of April, 1790, as

a candidate for the gospel ministry. On the 6th of October

following he was appointed stated supply to the churches of

West Nottingham and Little Britain. In this service, having

continued about six months, he received a call from these

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 4-41

congregations to become their pastor, which, after delibera-

tion, he declined. In his probationary visitations and preach-

ing, he accepted an invitation to preach to the congregations

of Lower Marsh creek and Toms creek, in the Carlisle

Presbytery. They had recently become vacant by the trans-

fer of the Eev. John McNight, their late pastor, to the

collegiate Presbyterian churches of the city of New York.

Mr. Paxson's services were so acceptable to those vacant

congregations, that they promptly and unanimously gave him

a call to become their pastor. He accepted the call on the

4th of April, 1792, and was accordingly dismissed from the

Presbytery of New Castle to put himself under the care of

that of Carlisle. This took effect on the 7th of June, 1792,

and on the 3d of October following he was installed as pastor

of the churches above named.

On the 20th of January, 1794, he was united in marriage

with Miss Jane Dunlap, daughter of Col. James Dunlap,

then residing near Shippensburg. He miaistered to the

united congregations composing his charge for several years,

until Lower Marsh creek congregation became desirous of

securing his entire services. To this change the other con-

gregation submitted with deep regret, and from that time

until his death his labors were devoted to Marsh creek alone.

His service to this congregation was a devotion, indeed, being

one of larger durati6n than falls to the lot of most clergy-

men, and extending over a period of forty-nine years. Veryrarely, indeed, was he absent from the public duties of the

Sabbath, unless to assist a brother in the administration of

the Lord's Supper, and in one or two instances when, bysickness, he was for a short time unable to render his

ordinary services. His ministrations were always character-

ized by decided ability and great faithfulness. By his con-

gregation they were always appreciated, and their attachment

to, and estimation of him, suffered no abatement. To relin-

quish him as their pastor, was Yerj unwelcome, even whenhis bodily infirmities rendered it not only expedient, but

absolutely necessary. In 1826 the degree of doctor of

divinity was conferred upon him by Dickinson college. Hesevered his long connection with his congregation by resio^n-

31

442 BIO&KAPHICAL HISTORY

ing liis charge on the 19th of October, 1841. He, however,

afterwards preached to them occasionally, until they obtained

a successor. He died April 16th, 1845.

As a preacher. Dr. Paxson was highly interesting and

acceptable. His sermons were distinguished for appropriate

and well-digested thought, natural and lucid arrangement,

and thorough discussion. Far from being dry and merely

intellectual, they were lively and impressive ; and a well-

regulated imagination often added force and beauty to his

scriptural illustrations. In preparation for his public ser-

vices, he was conscientiously careful and punctual. His

manner of preaching was what is usually denominated

extempore ; but the matter was the result of mature thought

and exact preparation. In manner he was solemn, dignified,

commanding, graceful, without any theatrical effort, and with

only those gestures which his feelings naturally prompted him.

As a pastor he was affectionate and faithful. In the exercise of

church discipline, he was strict and conscientious, yet con-

siderate and wise. In his habits, he was very domestic. Hewas, however, eminently social in his disposition, and fond

'Of the society of his brethren.*

PEARSOL, JoHX H., one of the editors of the Lancaster

'Daily and Weekly Express, was born January 12th, 1818,

near Waynesburg, Chester county. Pa. His parents be-

longed to the humblest of society. From Chester county

they removed to Sjjorting Hill, and from thence to Marietta,

Lancaster county. In this place, when he was but four years

of age, he had the misfortune to lose his mother, who was

shot by a drunken man, named Hamilton.^ At the age of

' William Hamilton, more famUiary known, subsequently, as "Billy

Hamilton, '

' was a North-Irelander, who had settled lu Marietta at an

early period of its history, and followed the occupation of hand-weaving.

Under ordinary circumstances he was regarded rather as a useful and

industrious citizen, but somewhat irritable and obstinate, and, whenunder the influence of Uquor, a man of almost ungovernable passions.

Mr. Pearsol's mother was his nearest neighbor, and was known as a

remarkably mild and benevolent woman, who often acted as a peace-

maker between beUigerent neighlx)rs, and possessed marked influence

as such. She had often used her influence previously in pacifying

Hamilton in his stormy moods, when they were directed against his

'Spi'ague's Annals of the American Pulpit, vol. 3.


seven he was placed in the employ of Hugh Maxwell, pub-

lisher of the Lancaster Gazette, as errand boy, and con-

tinued in his service for seven years, and so long as to

partially acquire a knowledge of printing. Having left Mr.

Maxwell, he worked in Philadelphia several years, and made

himself fully master of his trade. When twenty-one years of

age he returned to Lancaster, and Bryson, Pearsol & "Wimer

started the Semi- Weekly Gazette as a literary paper. With

this firm he continued for about a year and six months, and

then sold out his interest, losing in non-payments all the

products of the sale. On a borrowed capital of S500 he

began, February 10th, 1843, as a temperance organ, the

wife, his neighbors, or other members of his family. On the unfoi-tu-

nate occasion which so suddenly and so violently resulted in Îr. Pearsol's

early orphanage, Hamilton was under the influence of strong drink, and

had an altercation with some one, and as is usuijj on such occasions,

when he came home he directed his u-e against his wife and other mem-bers of his family. Mrs. Pearsol, either voluntary or through solicita-

tion, attempted to administer the oil of peace which she had so success-

fully administered on former occasions, but her benevolent mission only

seemed to have chafed him the more, if he did not come to regard it as

an impertinent interference ; he therefore ran up stairs into a room, and

declared he would shoot the first person who entered it. His teriifled

family would fain have persuaded her not to approach him in his present

frame of mind, but she, jjerhaps, not knoiDing that he had a deadly

weapon, or fearing he might do violence to others if his stormy passion

was not allayed, nevertheless entered his room, when the jihrenzied manimmediately shot her dead, and escaped from the house. It was somedays before Hamilton was arrested, and having some very warm friends

in the place, who connived at his concealment, it was considered hazard-

ous to attempt his arrest, even if his whereabouts had been known.

At length suspicion fell upon the house of his friend, James Kane, or

McKane, familiarly known as "Jimmy Kane," and the "Jlarietta

Blues," a volunteer company, then under the command of Lieut. Elijah

Eussel, was called out, to assist in making the an'est. The companyproceeded to the house aforesaid, and after a feeble resistance on the

part of the inmates, entered it with charged bayonets ; where, after a

thorough search, they found Hamilton concealed under the flooring of

the cellar. Kane, having been discovered with a gun in his hand, which

he had threatened to use, before Hamilton was discovered, was, with

another of his friends, also arrested as accessories after the fact, and the

three men were immediately lodged in the Lancaster jail. At the trial

which followed, his two friends were discharged, but Hamilton was con-

victed of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to eighteen years'

imprisonment in the old Arch street prison, in Philadelphia.

44i BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

WeeMy Express,'^ and continued its publication up to 1856, it

being the longest instance of the connected publication of a

temperance paper as yet known in Pennsylvania. During

1856 he associated with him Mr. J. M. W. Geist, and the iirm

started the Daily Express, (and also continued the weekly),

which they have published up to this time. In the subject

of this sketch, we have an instance of a man rising from the

humblest origin to respect, iniJuence and independence, bydint of determined energy and steady perseverance, qualities

always sure to win when properly observed. The early

event that deprived him of his mother, was that which

originally gave him his first bias in favor of temperance, and

Hamilton became very penitent, and his conduct in prison was very

meek, exemplar}" and praiseworthy, so much so that the usual rigor of

the prison rules were relaxed in his case, and he was entrusted with

many minor duties, aU of which were faithfully discharged. After

serving nine years m prison he became a subject of executive clemency,

and, accordingly, received a free and fidl pardon from Governor George

Wolf, in 1S31.

After his discharge from prison he returned to ^Marietta, where he

married a widow Coble—his fonner wife having died in the meantime, if

she had not been released by his diabolical act and criminal conviction

—

and led a rather quiet and industrious, if not a religious Ufe, and died

in 1847. Notwithstanding his religious professions, the odium of hav-

ing committed a miu'der, ever attached to Hamilton—whether justly or

unjustly, he never outlived it—and, doubtless, on a multitude of occa-

sions, he reaUzed that ' the way of the transgressor is hard. '

' Manypeople imagined that they could read niiirder in the lineaments of his

face, and herein perhaps consists as solemn a warning as the indulgence

in inebriation. Eveiy indulgence in violent anger leaves not only a scar

upon the moral character, but also more or less impresses itself ulti-

mately upon the facial angles of a man. Intoxication, therefore, only

relaxes the bonds of moral and civil resti'aint, a violent breaking domiof these baii-iers, and letting the habitual inner man recklessly rash

forth in some act of violence. Early impressed -with the fact, that it wasthi'ough the iustrumentahty of ardent spirits, as a primary cause, that'

Mr. Pearsol was wantonly deprived of a kind and affectionate mother,

at the vei^y period when he most needed a mother's care, it is not sur-

prising that he should have devoted the best energies of his life to the

advancement of the temperance cause. ,

' When Mr. Pearsol ijublished the Express, as a temperance organ, the

tone of society was very different towards the temperance cause from

what it aftei-wards became, and has been 'for years. During the thu--

teen years of its temperance career, he was jiroseouted eight times for

libel, found guilty in every instance, and mulcted in tines and costs. In


the same which has ever intensified his support of this cause.

No more worthy instance of genuine worth and steady

adhesion to principle, triumphing over poverty and all accom-

panying obstacles, is presented in our county's history than

is afforded in the career of the man whose sketch we have

penned.

PEELOR, John, appointed Recorder of Deeds in 1830.

FENNEL, Benjamin, was born in Chester county, Pa.,

June 26th, 1787. He served as a soldier of the war of 1812,

and was present at the battle of Baltimore. He was a wool-

carder and fuller by occupation. He settled in Warwick-

township, being induced thither chiefly through the influence

every case he had shnply published what he stood ready to proTe, hut this

the law forbade, aud for publishing the truth he was obhged to endure

the penalty. On one occasion he was found guilty of libel, aud sentenced

to pay a fine of 8200 and the costs, which ne.uiy equalled the fine; and

not having the means to Uquidate the penalty, he was committed to prison

in compliance with the sentence of the court. So great, indeed, was the

the antipathy towards the temperance sheet, that some of the leading

business men of Lancaster refused to have the name of the temperance

editor stand as an imprint upon their business bills. The cause of

temperance was iu the lowest repute, and it even required a man of

courage to avow himself as its supporter. Mr. Pearsol was often thi-eat-

ened with cowhidings for his support of the cause. This was the

passage through the fiery ordeal that tries the metal of which men are

composed. Such, to the unreflecting, however, would seem the lowest

ebb in one's career, but in this instance, as is often the case, it proved

the turning jjoint in his hfe. The determined eifort to ruin the

Express and its owner, roused the friends of the cause, of which it wasthe organ, and funds were' immediately raised, the editor released, and

dui'ing the same year the list of srtbscribers was increased from oOD to

8, 500. The struggling paper was at once placed upon a permanent andenduring basis. It had passed the turning jjoint, and its success wasestablished. Since the year 1836 many prosecutions have been insti-

tuted for libel, but all hare uniformly been withdi-awu and none i)rose-

cuted to judgment, with the exception of one case, iu which a verdict

of not guilty was rendered.

It may be here added, that the lager beer trade was first started upin Lancaster about the year 1843 or 1844. One of the first lager beer

saloons opened iu Lancaster city was kept near where the Penusylvania

raih'oad depot now stands, and the beer was named Bavarian beer,

(bierish). Henry Frauke was one of the first in the business in this

city, and afterwards went Into its manufacture, which, in late years, has

developed into a large and profitable trade. It is now one of the gTO\ving

branches of manufacture.


of Jacob Eeist, and he followed his trade there for someyears. He was appointed a justice of the peace by Governor

Shultz, under the old Constitution, and served until the

adoption of the new. In 1840 he was elected to the Houseof Eepresontatives, and reelected in 1841. He died August

12th, 1865, aged 78 years. Mr. Penuel was a man of a re-

markable memory, and was able in citing events that had

transpired, to name the year and day of its occurrence. Hewas a strong friend of the temperance cause. He was per-

fectly honest and upright, and no man could sway him in

any manner from what he regarded as right. Any corrupt

overture to him, when a member of the House, would have

been spurned, and would have received a fitting rebuke.

He chose to remain poor and leave an untarnished reputa-

tioD in preference to the accumulation of pelf by base and

dishonorable means. Poor Benjamin Pennel was a man of

honor, and highly esteemed where honor is respected, and

by the few who appreciated his inner worth. Kaise an

humble monument to his memory, for mausoleums have

decked less worthy ashes.

PETERS, Abraham, was born August 29th, 1791, near

Millersville, Lancaster county, Pa. His father, of the same

name, emigrated from Alsace, in France, (now Germany),

about nine miles from Strasburg, when nineteen years of age,

and located in the vicinity of Millersville,^ then called Millers-

burg. He purchased ten acres of land, for which he paid £270in the year 1777. He died February 5th, 1818, aged 77 years.

He kept tavern in an old log h'ouse, in which the subject of

this notice was born, and also carried on a distillery. Abra-

ham Peters, after the death of his father, still continued the

distilling business, and did so up to 1853. He was, at the

same time, engaged in farming. Up to 1851 he also kept

' MiUersviUe, originally called Millersto-vm, afterwards MiUersburg,

derives its name from the founder of the village, John MiHer, whoowned a large body of land upon -n-hich the village now stands. Hesold iive-acre lots, reseiTiug ground-rent. John Miller erected a large

brick house, composed of extremely thick walls, and displayed his taste

in having one of his rooms covered with beautiful and artistic carvmgs.

Miller„in after years failed, and his property passed into other hands.

His large house was torn down some thirty years since.


tavern. He was married on the 16th of October, 1825, to

Miss Fanny Gamber. Abraham Peters was one of the

leading movers with B. B. Martin, Lewis M. Hobbs, John

Brady, Jacob K. Shenk and others, in the establishment of

the Millersville Normal School. Mr. Peters was elected the

first president of the board of trustees, a position he has

held up to this time. The meetings that led to the founda-

tion of the Normal School, were held in the years 1853-54.

The institution was opened in 1855, as the Millerstown

Academy. After Mr. Peters retired from the distilling busi-

ness in 1853, he prosecuted the business of farming up to

1862. For many years he had carried on the business of

saw-milling, at Petersville, on the Conestoga Navigation. In

1861 Mr. Peters was nominated and elected on the Union

ticket, a member of the House of Representatives, and dis-

charged the duties of this position with credit to himself

and to the satisfaction of his constituents. Since 1862 he

has retired from active pursuits, and resides on his place in

Millersville.

PETERS, Jacob G., son of Abraham Peters, was bora

September 4th, 1834, in Millersville, Lancaster county. Pa.

He was educated at the schools of his district, and after-

wards pursued a collegiate career in Franklin and Marshall,

in the first years after the college was removed to Lancaster.

He was going to Marshall college, in Mercersburg, and was

the student selected by the faculty of the college to have

charge of the transportation of the college fixtures from

Mercersburg to Lancaster. After graduating at college, his

father having been engaged in the lumber business, and wish-

ing to retire therefrom, Jacob G. Peters continued the same

steadily up to 1866. From that time he has chiefly devoted

his attention to agricultural pursuits. When the Farmers'

Mutual Insurance Company of Lancaster county was re-

organized in 1870, Mr. Peters was elected as the general agent

of the company, with full power to remodel the same, and he

is clothed with authority to issue new policies to insured.

During 1870 he acted as superintendent of the Lancaster and

New Danville Turnpike Company of Lancaster county ; also

as superintendent for the erection of a bridge across the Con-


estoga creek. Up to the breaking out of the war, Mr. Peters

was an active and influential Democrat, but since that time he

has operated with the Eepublican party. He was, by this

latter pai'ty nominated in 1868, and elected a member of the

House of Representatives. He has been a frequent delegate

of his party to the nominating conventions, and was a

member of the State Convention at Philadelphia, which

placed Gen. Grant in nomination for the Presidency. Mr.

Peters has for several years been an active member of the

board of trustees of the Millersville Normal School, and

acts as chairman of the household committee.

POETEE, George B., a son of General Andrew Porter,

of revolutionary memory, was born in Lancaster, February

9th, 1791. He read law and was admitted to the bar in the

year 1813. He sjseedily won a front rank in the profession, and

was for several years cue of the leading lawyers at the Lan-

caster bar. He was, in April, 1818, appointed prothonotary

of Lancaster county, succeeding J. Passmore. He was a

leading Democratic politician, and was recommended by the

convention of his party in Lancaster county as a candidate

for Governor of Pennsylvania. In 1824 he was appointed

adjutant-general of the State. He was an eloquent speaker,

and was chosen by 'the city of Lancaster to make the

reception speech to General Lafayette,' when he visited

it in 1624. He was selected as the attorney to defend Walter

franklin, when the latter was impeached before the Senate

of Pennsylvania. He was elected a member of the Penn-

sylvania Legislature in the year 1827. He was appointed

Governor of Michigan territory, the duties of which offiice

he discharged for three years. He died at Detroit, July 6th,

1884, in the 44th year of his age.

POETEE, Jaiies, was a delegate from Lancaster county

to the Eeform Convention of 1837-38.

PORTER, James, was one of the early settlers of Lan-

caster county. He owned a large body of laud in the south-

' At the time Lafayette visited Lancaster, a ball was given in honor of

the nation's distinguislied guest, which eclipsed everything which up to

that day had been seen in the old iiJand city.

OF LAIS'CASTEE COUXTY. 449

ern section of the count3^ His sou, William Porter, was a


POETER, John J., was elected Clerk of Quarter Sessions

in the year 1854. David Fulton filled the last year of his

office by appointment.

'

PORTER, Thomas, was a member of the Legislature in

1775. He was also a delegate from Lancaster county to the

convention of 1776, which framed the first State Constitution.

POWELL, Rev. Walter, a native of New York State,

and pastor of the Presbyterian church in Lancaster city,

from the year 1857 up to his death, in 1858. Rev. Powell wasa man of rare intellectual capacity, and one who had caught

the new spirit of liberal Christianity' which has so thoroughly

made its way into the churches of New England and someother sections of America. His sermons to the old mem-bers of the congregation seemed entirely strange, and manyof his congregation were unable to become reconciled to his

style of preaching. He was a close student, a deep reasoner,

and one who (had years been spared him) would have left a

' The religious tone of the peojjle of Lancaster county, is a matter of all

others that deserves some consideration. It may be said, perhaps, with-out exaggeration, that there is no inland county in Pennsylvania wherea greater variety of religious sects exists than in Lancaster. It is owingto this great commingling of sects and interchange of opinions, that Lan-caster county has risen to so comparative a height in the scale of tolera-

tion and liberality of sentiment, compared with many other sections ofour couut%-

; for, it is a fact well known, that the entertaining of noreligious opinions (those of any sect) serves to arouse antagonism orill-will upon the part of any of opposite sentiments. Perfect harmonyand good-will prevail amongst all denominations ; even Roman Catho-lics and those of the diflereut Protestant sects live in the best socialrelations toward each other. The UberaUzing sentiments of moderntheological views have silently insinuated themselves, to a certain ex-tent, into the midst of all the. various religious denominations of thecounty, and the harsh visage of the olden times has been driven in thebackground. A large number of intelligent and influential citizens ofthe county are scarcely nominally attached to any precise faith or modeof worship, and yet many such rank among.st the most respected of ourpeople. Sirch are, nevertheless, benevolent, humane and charitable to anextent that may cast the virtues of professors in the shade; but a widetolerance is entertained by all such for opposite opinions, and with thesesincerity is accepted as the all-justifying requisite. Indeed, this senti-ment, originally emanating fj-om this independent class, has made its


Baarked impress upon his age. He, however, for this locality

was beyond his time, but his spirit yet lives amongst us, and

will grow until in time it shall have reached its full developed

stature in the^current and progressive movement of our age.

POWNALL FAMILY. Levi Pownall, sr., of Salisbury,

was born in Bucks county, in the year 1755. He was the

son of Simeon Pownall, and the great-grandson of George

and Eleanor Pownall, who emigrated to this country with

William Penn, in the year 1682, and whose son, George

Pownall, jr., was born in Bucks county in the same year,

Levi Pownall was united in marriage with Elizabeth, the

daughter of Joseph and Martha Buckman, in the year

1782, and having removed to Lancaster county in the year

1784, he^first erected a tannery at Simmonstown, (in Sads-

bury township,) where he carried on the manufacture of

leather for some years. He next purchased Avhat is knownas the Christiana tract, which had been patented by Philip

Pownall in the year 1702, on which he resided a number of

years, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits ; and in the

way into churches ; and it would be difficult to-day to find an intelligent

churchman who would not concede that conscience is the guide of man.

This might be regarded as a vast innovation ujjon the opinions of the

past. The world, moves, and we move with it. Opinions also movesteadily onward, and the views of one age are no special index of whatthose of the following age may be. The case cited, is but one of the in-

stances of the rise of the human mind over the inherited beliefs of the

past, and the banishment of the same amidst the superstitious of dark

ages. Rationalizing influences ai-e felt and prevalent all around uponmen of every class and grade in society, and are heartily cherished bythose still clinging to the truth of revelation. But with all this liberal-

izing movement that falls in with the current of the age, there is in our

county but few who feel bold enough to step aside from the cherished

faith of the church, and avow themselves unbelievers in revelation. Todo so, requires more than ordinary courage, especially in view of the fact

that the American mind has not yet attained to that ultima tJiule of

toleration which will even be willing to extend equal respect and honor

to the Christian, Jlohammedan, Jew and Infidel. An intelligent class

exists, however, amongst us, many of whom, members of our churches,

have already touched this height of toleration, and are ready to accredit

equal honesty, candor and respect to all sincere opinions that may be,

and are entertained. When all our people reach this, a progress will

have been made, indeed, and one that should seem as likely to usher in

the halcyon days of the long delayed millennium.


year 1803 he purchased what is known as the Pownall tract,

comprising about three hundred acres of land in the valley,

about one mile south of Christiana, a large part of which

land was purchased from William Penn, (in England), by

John Kennerly, in the year 1691. The original patent for

this tract was signed by William Penn, and is now in the pos-

session of Joseph D. Pownall, esq., of Sadsbury, and is

beyond question the oldest title in Lancaster county. Hewas a liberal-minded and generous man, and a worthy and

exemplary member of the society of Friends. He had three

sons, Joseph, Levi, and Simeon, and two daughters, Eliza-

beth and Catharine. His son Joseph was joined in marriage

with Phcebe, the daughter of Joseph, and grand-daughter of

Joseph, sr., and Elizabeth Dickinson. Levi and Simeon

were united in marriage with Sarah and Maria, the daugh-

ters of Thomas and Eleanor Hendersoh, of Sadsbury, and

the grand-daughters of Hattil and Abigail Varman, of

Leacock. He departed this life in the year 1840, in the 85th

year of his age. His grandsons, Moses and Joseph D. Pow-

nall, have served at different times in the Legislature of

Pennsylvania, and held various other public trusts. George

Whitson, late recorder of deeds for Lancaster county, and

Thomas Griest, late assistant assessor of internal revenue,

were both married to the grand-daughters of Levi Pownall,

sr.; and his grandsons, Levi, Ambrose and Simeon, still hold

the original properties in the valley, where he spent the

remainder of his useful and eventful life. His grandson,

Henry Pownall, one of the present prison inspectors of Lan-

caster county, was married to Deborah, the daughter of

Isaac and Deborah Walker, of Sadsbury. Moses Pownall,

the son of Joseph and Phcebe,Pownall, and the grandson of

Levi Pownall, sr., was born in Sadsbury township, in the

year 1815. He inherited from his ancestors the old home-

stead at Solesbury, in_^Bucks county, which had been pur-

chased from William Penn before his first arrival to the

province, in 1682. He was married in the year 1838, to

Susannah, the second daughter of Asahel and Sarah Walker,

of Sadsbury. He purchased the homestead of his grand-

father Dickinson, in Sadsbury, and was commissioned a


justice of the peace in 1846. He was elected a member of

the Legislature in the year 1851, and reelected for 1852.

He was the Whig candidate for canal commissioner in

1853. He was an enterprising and serviceable man in the

community, and did much to improve the neighborhood.

He and \Vm. Noble established the town of Christiana. Hedied on the 13th of February, 1854, in the 38th year of his

age. His only son, J. D. C. Pownall, still holds his jDroperty

in Sadsbury.

PEICE, S. H., a member of the Lancaster bar, admitted

in 1852. He was elected to the Legislature in the years

1857-58.

PYFER, Col. Frederick S., was born November 24th,

1832, in Martic township, Lancaster county. His father,

also named Frederick, was by birth a Prussian, and his

mother a descendant of one of the oldest families of the

county. After passing through the schools of his district,

lie went to the -Marietta Academy, taught by Prof Wicker-

sham, where he continued two years and six months. Hewent for a short time afterwards to the Normal School at

Millersville. He taught the boys high school at Columbia

for three years, at the same time reading law, and completed

his legal studies in the office of Issac E. Hiester. He was

admitted to the bar in 1857. He began the practice of the

profession in 1860, and was chosen chairman of the Demo-cratic county committee, a position he retained up to the

breaking out of the rebellion. Upon the breaking out of

the war, he enlisted as a jDrivate in Aj^ril, 1861, for the three

months service. The company in which he was serving

being soon afterwards attached to the 1st Penusylania vol-

unteers, he was commissioned Eegimeutal Quartermaster,

with the rank of First Lieutenant. He served the period of

enlistment, (three months) and then returned home. Heimmediately set to raising a company for three years, which

formed a part of the 77th Pennsylvania volunteers, and he

immediately was chosen captain of the same, it being com-

pany K of the regiment. The regiment was sent west to

the army of the Cumberland, and participated in all the

battles of that division, from Shiloh till the battle of Chicka-


mauga, in September, 1863, when he was taken prisoner

with nearly the whole regiment. He was in the battles of

Shiloh, Chaplin Hills, Murfreesboro, Laverque, Liberty

Gap, besides numerous minor engagements. After the

battle of Murfreesboro he was unanimously elected Lieuten-

ant-colonel of his regiment by the oflQcers, and commis-

sioned by the Governor of Pennsylvania. He was at the

time the junior captain of the regiment. He was confined

in Libby Prison for nearly nine months, suffering all the pri-

vations incident to such a condition, and coming away with

a broken-down constitution, not yet recuperated. He was

released on parole until exchanged in June, 1864. Uponresuming his command it was found that his health was too

much impaired to be able to endure the hardships of the

active campaign then in progress under General Sherman,

in his march to the Atlantic. He was therefore detailed bygeneral orders to preside as president of a general court-mar-

tial at Nashville, Tennessee, in which capacity he acted until

he was mustered out of service upon the expiration of his

term of enlistment, February -Ith, 1865. Upon returning to

Lancaster, he resumed again the practice of his profession,

in which he has since been steadily engaged. In October,

1871, he was elected Mayor of the city of Lancaster, a

position he now holds.

R.

RAMSEY, Dr. David,* was born in Lancaster county,

Pennsylvania, on the second day of April, 1749. Hewas the youngest child of James Ramsey, a respectable

farmer, who had emigrated from Ireland at an early age, and

by the cultivation of his farm, with his own hands, provided

the means of subsistence and education fiw^- a numerous

family. He was a man of intelligence and piety, and early

sowed the seeds of knowledge and religion in the minds of

his children. He lived to reap the fruit of his labor and see

*From National Portrait Gallery.


his offspring grow up around him, ornaments of society and

props of his declining years. The early impressions which

the care of this excellent parent made on the mind of Dr.

Eamsey, were never erased. He had the misfortune to

lose an excellent and amiable mother very early in life; but

that loss was in some measure repaired by his father, whotook uncommon pains to give him the best education that

could then be obtained in this country. He was, from his

infancy, remarkable for his attachment to books, and for the

rapid progress he made in acquiring knowledge. At six

years of age he read the bible with facility, and it is said was

peculiarly delighted with the historical parts of it. Whenplaced at a grammar school his progress was very remarka-

ble. It was no uncommon thing, says a gentleman whoknew him intimately at that time, to see students who had

almost arrived at manhood taking the child upon their knees

in order to obtain his assistance in the construction and

explanation of different passages in their lessons. Before

he was twelve years of age, he had read more than once

all the classics usxially studied at grammar schools, and was

in every respect qualified for admission into college, but

being thought too young for collegiate studies, he accepted

the place of assistant tutor in a respectable academy in

Carlisle, and notwithstanding his tender years acquitted

himself to the admiration of every one. He continued for

upwards of a year in this situation, and then went to Prince-

ton. On his examination he was found qualified for admis-

sion into the junior class, but in consequence of his extreme

youth, the faculty advised him to enter as a sophomore,

which he did, and having passed through college with high

reputation, he took the degree of bachelor of arts, in the

year 1765, being then only sixteen years of age. Having

completed the usual college course at sixteen, he was enabled

to devote some time to the general cultivation of his mind

before he commenced the study of physic ; and he spent

nearly two years in Maryland as a private tutor in a respecta-

ble family, devoting himself to books and enriching his

mind with stores of useful knowledge.

He then commenced the study of physic, under the direc-


tionof Dr. Bond, of Philadelpliia, where lie regularly attended

the lectures delivered at the college of Pennsylvania, the

parent of the celebrated medical school which has since

become so distinguished. Dr. Rash was then"professor of

chemistry in that college ; and this led'^toâ friendship be-

tween Dr. Eush, the able and accomplished master, and

Ramsey, the ready, ingenious and attentive student, that was

fondly cherished by both, and continued to strengthen and

increase to the latest moments of their lives. For Dr. Rush,

young Ramsey felt a filial aflection; he regarded him as a

,benefactor, while he entertained the highest veneration for

his talents. He never had any hesitation in declaring him-

self an advocate of the principles introduced^by Dr. Rush in

the theory and practice of medicine; and in his eulogium

on Dr. Rush, a last public tribute of respect to the memoryof his lamented friend, he declares that " his own experience

had been uniformly in their favor ever since they were first

promulgated;" and adds a declaration, that in his "opinion

Dr. Rush had done more to improve the theory and practice

of medicine than any one physician either living or dead."

Dr. Ramsey was graduated bachelor of physic—a degree at

that time uniformly conferred—early in the year 1772, and

immediately commenced the practice of physic at the "Headof the Bohemia," in Maryland, where he continued to prac-

tice with much reputation for about a year, when he

removed to Charleston. Dr. Rush, in a letter written

September 15th, 1773, after stating that he would recom-

mend Dr. Ramsey to fill the opening which then existed at

Charleston, thus proceeds :" Dr. Ramsey studied physic

regularly with Dr. Bond, attended the hospital and public

lectures of medicine, and afterwards graduated bachelor of

physic with great eclat. It is saying but little of him to

tell you, that he is far superior to any person we ever gradu-

ated at our college ; his abilities are not only good, but

great ; his talents and knowledge universal. I never saw

60 much strength of memory and imagination united to so

fine a judgment. His manners are polished and agreeable,

Ms conversation lively, and his 'behavior to all men always

without offence. Joined to all these, he is sound in his


principles ; strict, nay, more, severe in his morals ; and

attached, not by education only, but by principle, to the

dissenting interest. He will be an acquisition to your society.

He writes, talks, and Avhat is core, lives well ; I can promise

more for him, in everything, than I could for myself." Such

was the character of Dr. Ramsey at the commencement of

his career in life.

On settling in Charleston he rapidly rose to eminence in

his profession and general respect. His talents, his habits

of business and uncommon industry, eminently qualified him

for an active part in public affairs, and induced his fellow-

citizens to call upon him on all occasions when anything was

to be done for the common welfare. In our revolutionary

struggle he was a decided and active Whig, and was one of

the earliest and most zealous advocates of American inde-

pendence. On the 4th of July, 1778, he was appointed to

deliver an oration before the inhabitants of Charleston. In

this oration, the first ever delivered on the anniversary of

American independence, he bodly declares that " our present

form of government is every way preferable to tbe royal

one we have lately renounced." In establishing this posi-

tion, he takes a glowing view of the natural tendency of

republican forms of government to promote knowledge, to

call into exercise the active energies of the human soul ; to

bring forward modest merit ; to destroy luxury and estab-

lish simplicity in the manners and habits of the people ; and

finally to promote the cause of virtue and religion. In

every period of the war Dr. Ramsey wrote and spoke boldly

and constantly; and by his personal exertions in the Legisla-

ture, and in the field was very serviceable to the cause of

American liberty. The fugitive pieces written by him from

the cominencement of that struggle, were not thought by

himself of sufiicient importance to be preserved, yet it is

well known to his contemporaries that on political topics no

man wrote better than Dr. Ramsey, in all the public journals

of the day. For a short period he was with the army as a

surgeon, and he was present with the Charleston ancient

battalion of artillery at the siege of Savannah. From the

declaration of independence to the termination of the war


he was a member of the Legislature of South Carolina. For

two years he had the honor of being one of the privy coun-

cil, and with two others of that body was among those

citizens of Charleston who were banished by the British

authorities to St. Augustine. In consequence of an exchange

of prisoners Dr. Eamsey was sent back to the United States,

after an absence of eleven months. He immediately took

his seat as a member of the State Legislature, then convened

at Jacksonsboro. It was at this assembly that the vari-

ous acts confiscating the estates of the adherents to Great

Britain, were passed. Dr. Eamsey being conciliatory in his

disposition, tolerant and humane in his principles, and the

friend of peace, although he knew well that the conduct of

some of those who fell under the operation of these laws

merited all the severity that could be used towards them,

yet he remembered also that many others were acting from

the honest dictates of conscience. He could not, therefore,

approve of the confiscation acts, and he opposed them in

every shape. Dr. Eamsey continued to possess the undimin-

ished confidence of his fellow-citizens, and was in February,

1782, elected a member of the Continental Congress. In this

body he was always conspicuous, and particularly exerted

himself in procuring relief for the Southern States, then over-

run by the enemy. On the return of peace, he returned to

Charleston and commenced the practice of his profession

;

but was not permitted long to remain in private, and in 1785

was again elected a member of Congress from the Charleston

district. The celebrated John Hancock had been chosen

president of that body, but being unable to attend from in-

disposition, Dr. Eamsey was elected president, pro temipore^

and continued for a whole year to discharge the important

duties of that station with much ability and impartiality.

In 1786 he again returned to Charleston and reentered the

walks of private life. In the State Legislature and in the

Continental Congress, Dr. Eamsey was useful and influential.

He was a remarkably fluent, rapid, and ready speaker ; and

though his manner was ungraceful, though he neglected all

ornament, and never addressed himself to the imagination or

passions of his audience, yet his style was so simple and

32

458 BIOGEAPHICAii HISTORY

pure, his reasoning so cogent, his remarks so striking and

original, and his conclusions resulted so clearly from his

premises, that he seldom failed to convince.

He was so ready to impart to others his extensive know-

ledge on all subjects, that whenever consultation became

necessary, his opinion and advice were looked for as a matter

of course, and it was always given with great brevity and

perspicuity. Thus he became the most active member of

every association, public or private, to which he was attached.

In general politics he was thoroughly and truly republican.

Through the course of a long life his principles suffered no

change ; he died in those of his youth. Always disposed to

believe his opponents to be the friends of the country, he

endeavored by his language and example, to allay party

feeling, and to teach all his fellow-citizens to regard them-

selves as members of the same great family. Through the

whole course of his life, he was assiduous in the practice of

his profession. Whenever his services were required, he

never hesitated to render them promptly at every sacrifice

of personal convenience and safety. In his medical princi-

ples, he was a rigid disciple of Dr. Eush, and his practice

was remarkably bold. Instead of endeavoring to overcome

diseases by repeated efforts, it was his aim to subdue them

at once by a single vigorous remedy. This mode of prac-

tice is probably well adapted to southern latitudes where

disease is so sudden in its approach and so rapid in its effects.

In the treatment of the yellow fever. Dr. Eamsey is said to

have been uncommonly successful ; and it is well knownthat he effected several remarkable cures in cases of wounds

received from poisonous animals. Those who knew him

best, and had the experience of his services in their families

for forty-two years, entertained the most exalted opinion of

his professional merits. His widely-extended reputation

induced many strangers, who visited Charleston in search of

health, to place themselves under his care ; and they always

found in him the hospitable friend as well as the attentive

physician.

We proceed to consider Dr. Eamsey as an author. It is

in this character he is best known and most distinguished.


His reputation was not only well established in every part

of the United States, but had extended to Europe. Fewmen in America have written more, and perhaps no one has

written better. The citizens of the United States have long

regarded him as the father of history in the New World;

and he has always been ranked among those on whomAmerica must depend for her literary character. He was

admirably calculated by nature, education and habit, to be-

come the historian of his country. He possessed a memoryso tenacious, that an impression made on it could never be

erased. The minutest circumstances of his early youth, facts

and dates relative to every incident of his own life, and all

public events, were indelibly engraven on his memory. Hewas, in truth, a living chronicle. His learning and uncom-

mon industry eminently fitted him for the pursuits of an

historian. He was above prejudice, and absolute master of

passion. " I declare," says he in the introduction to his first

work, "that embracing every opportunity of obtaining

genuine information, I have sought for truth, and have as-

serted nothing but what I believe to be fact. If I should be

mistaken, I will, on conviction, willingly retract it. During

the whole course of my writing,.! have carefully watched

the workings of my mind, lest passion, prejudice, or party

feeling should warp my judgment. I have endeavored to

impress on myself how much more honorable it is to write

impartially for the good of posterity, than to condescend to

be the apologist of a party. Notwithstanding this care to

guard against partiality, I expect to be charged with it byboth of the late contending parties. The suffering Ameri-

cans, who have seen and felt the ravages and oppressions of

the British army, will accuse me of too great moderation.

Europeans, who have heard much of American cowardice,

perfidy and ingratitude, and more of British honor, clemency

and moderation, will probably condemn my work as the oif-

spring of party zeal. I shall decline the fruitless attempt of

aiming to please either, and instead thereof, follow the

attractions of truth whithersoever she may lead." Fromthese resolutions the historian never departed.

From the beginning to the close of the war. Dr. Ramsey

460 BIOGKAPHICAL HISTORY

was carefully collecting materials for this work. After it

was completed it was submitted to the perusal of General

Greene, who having given his assent to all the statements

made therein, the history of the revolution in South Caro-

lina was published in 1785. Its reputation soon spread

throughout the United States, -and it was translated into

French, and read with great avidity in Europe. It was ever

the wish of Dr. Eamsey to render lasting services to his

country ; and being well aware that a general history of the

Eevolution would be more extensively useful than a workconfined to the transactions of a particular State, want of

materials alone prevented him in the first instance from

undertaking the former in preference to the latter. When,therefore, in the year 1785 he took his seat in Congress,

finding himself associated with many of the most distin-

guished heroes and statesmen of the Eevolution, and having

free access to all the public records and documents that could

throw light on the events of the war, he immediately com-

menced the history of the American Eevolution. Notwith-

standing his public duties, he found time sufficient to collect

from the public offices, and from every living source, the mate-

rials for this valuable work. With Dr. Franklin and Dr.

Witherspoon, both of them his intimate friends, he conferred

freely and gained much valuable information from thpm.

Anxious to obtain every important fact, he also visited Wash-

ington, at Mt. Vernon, and was readily furnished by him with

all the information required relating to the events in which

that great man had been the chief actor. Dr. Eamsey thus

possessed greater facilities for procuring materials for the

history of the Eevolution than any other individual of the

United States. He had been an eye witness of many of its

events, and was a conspicuous actor in its busy scenes.

He was the friend of Washington, Franklin, Witherspoon,

and a host of others who were intimately acquainted with

all the events of the war ; and it may be said with perfect

truth, that no writer was ever more industrious in collecting

facts, or more honest in relating them. The history of the

American Eevolution was published in 1790, and was

received with universal approbation. It is not necessary to

*


analyze the character of a work that has •stood the test of

public opinion and passed through the crucible of criticism n

In 1801 Dr. Kamsey gave to the world his life of Wash-

ington ; as fine a piece of biography as can be found in any

language. It will not suffer in comparison with the best

productions of ancient or- modern times. Indeed, our

biographer had one great advantage over all others—we

mean the exalted and unrivaled character of his hero—-a

character " above all Greek, above all Eoman fame." In

1808 Dr. Eamsey published his history of South Carolina, in

two volumes, octavo. He had, in 1796, published an inter-

esting " sketch of the soil, climate, weather, and diseases of

South Carolina ;" and this probably suggested the idea of a

more minute hisCory of the State. No pains were spared to

make this work valuable and useful. The author was him-

self well acquainted with many of the facts he has recorded;

and by the melius of circular letters addressed to intelligent

gentlemen in every part of the State, the most correct infor-

mation was obtained. Many important facts thus preserved,

must otherwise have been soon forgotten ; and by this pub-

lication the author fully supported the reputation he had so

justly acquired. The death of his wife, in 1811, induced him

to publish a short time afterwards, the memoirs of her life.

This interesting little volume, which, in addition to the life

of Mrs. Eamsey, contains some of the production? of her pen,

is very generally read, and has been extensively useful. In

addition to the works already mentioned, Dr. Eamsey pub-

lished " an oration on the Acquisition of Louisiana ;" " Areview of the improvements, progress, and state pf medicine

in the eighteenth century," delivered on the first day of the

new century; "A Medical Eegister, for the year 1802 ;" "Adissertation on the means of preserving health in Charleston ;"

" A biographical chart, on a new plan to facilitate the study

of history;" and "A Eulogium on Dr. Kush." All these

works have merits in their several departments ;and partic-

ularly the Eeview of the Eighteenth Century, which con-

tains, perhaps, as much medical information in a small space

as can be found in any production of the kind. He had also

committed to the press, a short time before his death, "-A


Brief history of the Independent or Congressional Church

in Charleston." To this church he had from his youth been

strongly attached, and this little work was meant as a tribute

of affection.

The increasing demand for the history of the American

Revolution induced the author, several years before his death,

to resolve to publish an improved edition of that work. In

preparing this, it occurred to him that a history of the

United States, from their first settlement as English colonies,

including as much of the Revolution as is important to be

known, brought down to the present day, would be moreinteresting to the public as well as more extensively useful.

After completing this up to 1808, he determined to publish

it in connection with a universal history, hereafter to be

mentioned. Had not death arrested his progress, he would

have brought this work to the end of the late war. But the

last and greatest work of the American historian yet remains

to be mentioned. He had for upwards of forty years been

preparing for the jjress a series of historical volumes which,

when finished, were to bear the title of " Universal History

Americanized, or a historical view of the world from the

earliest records to the nineteenth century, with a particular

reference to the state of society, literature, religion and form

of government in the United States of America." ' Themind of Dr. Kamsey was perpetually grasping after know-

ledge;and the idea so well expressed by Sir Wm. Jones,

" that it would be happy for us if all great works were

reduced to their quintessence," had often occurred to his

mind. It was a circumstance deeply lamented by him that

knowledge, the food of the soul, should be in such a great

measure confined to literary and professional men; and he

has often declared, that if men of business would only employ

one hour in every twenty-four in the cultivation of the

mind, they would become well informed upon all subjects.

It had also forcibly suggested itself to his mind, that all of

the histories that had been written were chiefly designed for

' This work was published after his death, by Carey & Lee, in nine

volumes, in connection with his history of the United States, in tlu'ee

more, making in all twelve volumes.


the benefit of the old world, while America passed almost

tinnoticed, and was treated as unimportant in the scale of

nations. With a view, therefore, of reducing all valuable

historical facts within a small compass, to form a digest for

the use of those whose leisure would not admit of more

extensive reading, this great work was undertaken.

The labor of such an undertaking must have been great,

indeed; and when we remember the other numerous works

which occupied the attention of the author and the inter-

ruptions to which he was constantly exposed from profes-

sional avocations, we are at a loss to conceive how he found

time for such various employments. But it has been truly

said.of him, that "no miser was ever so precious of his gold

as he was of his time;" he was not merely economical, but

parsimonious of it to the highest degree. From those avo-

cations which occupy so great a proportion of the lives of

ordinary men. Dr. Eamsey subtracted as much as jDossible.

He never allowed for the table, for recreation, or repose, a

single moment that was not absolutely necessary for the

preservation of his health. His habits were those of the

strictest temperance. He usually slept four hours, rose be-

fore the light, and meditated with his book in hand until he

could see to read. He had no relish for the pleasures of the

table. He always ate what was set before him; and having

snatched his hasty meal, returned to his labors. His even-

ings only were alloted to recreation. He never read by the

light of a candle; with the shades of the evening he laid

aside his book and his pen, and, surrounded by his family

and friends, gave loose to those paternal and social feelings

which ever dwell in the bosom of the good man. The great

merit of Dr. Ramsey as a writer, is now generally acknow-

ledged. We are sure that we but embody the opinion of

literary men in this country when we say, that as an historian

Eamsey is faithful, judicious and impartial; that his style is

classical and chaste; and if occasionally tinctured by origi-

nality of idea or singularity of expression, it is perfectly

free from affected obscurity or colored ornament. Its energy

of thought is tempered by its simplicity and beauty of style.

As a man, the mind of Dr. Ramsey was cast in no common

^-****»-.**-«i-^^-

46i BIOGEAPHICAL HISTORY

mould ; his virtues were of no ordinary stamp. He was.

distinguished for philanthropy, enterprise, industry and per-

severance. He was altogether regardless of wealth and free

from ambition; and his active philanthropy only made himan author. He was an enthusiast in everything which tended

to promote the moral, social, intellectual and physical state

of his country.

Waut of judgment in the affairs of the world, was the

weak point of his character. In common with most emi-

nent literary men, he had studied human nature more from

books than actual observation. Hence, resulted a want of

that' sober judgment and correct estimate of men and things

so essentially necessary to success in worldly pursuits. This

was the great defect in his mind ; as if to show the fatal

eflects of a single error, this alone frustrated all his schemes,

and through the whole course of a long and useful life, in-

volved him in perpetual diifi'ulties and embarrassments from

which he was never able to extricate himself. As illustra-

tive of this part of his character, it will be sufficient to men-

tion the zeal and perseverance with which he proposed and

urged the jM'omotion of a company for the establishment of

the Sumter Canal in South Carolina, a work of great utility,

but attended with the most ruinous consequences to the in-

dividuals who supported it. In society he was a most

agreeable companion ; his memory was stored with almost

an infinite fund of interesting and amusing anecdotes, which

gave great sprightliness and zest to his conversation. Henever assumed any superiority over those with whom he

conversed, and always took peculiar pleasure in the society

of young men of intelligence and piety.

Dr. Eamsey was killed with the bullet of a maniac, and

the narrative of this occurrence is thus detailed : A man bythe name of William Linnen having been thrown into

prison, it was on his trial represented to the court, that he

was under the influence of mental derangement. Dr. Ram-sey and Dr. Benjamin Simons were appointed by the court

to examine and rejjort on his case. They concurred in opin-

ion that Linnen was deranged, and that it would be danger-

ous to let him go at large. He was therefore removed to


prison, where he was confined until exhibiting symptoms of

returning sanity he was discharged. He behaved himself

peaceably for a time, but was heard to declare that he would

"kill the doctors who had joined in that conspiracy against

him." On Saturday, the 6th of May, Dr. Kamsey was met

in Broad street, about one o'clock in the afternoon, within

sight of his own door, by the wretched maniac who jDassed

by, and taking a large horseman's pistol, charged with three

bullets out of a handkerchief in which it was concealed,

shot the doctor in the back. The perpetrator was arrested,

committed to prison, where he remained confined as a maniac

until his death. Dr. Ramsey lingered two days, and died on

the Sth of May, 1815.

RAMSEY, William," a member of the Legislature in the

years 1805, 1806, 1807 and 1808.

RATHVON, George, a lieutenant in tlie army of the

American Revolution, born 1750 ;mustered into the service

under Capt. Nathaniel Page, in Colonel Mathias Slough's

battalion of Lancaster county militia, August 24th, 1776.

Being a superior mechanic, he was detailed in 1777 to makeguns for the army, in the factory of William Henry, esq., at

Lancaster. Died in 1819.

RATHVON, Leonakd, a colonel in the Revolutionary

army. Born in 1748. Chiefly employed in the commissary

and mustering service in Lancaster county, during the war.

Died in 1814.

RATHVON, SiMOX S., was born at Marietta, Lancaster

county, April 24th, 1812. His father was Jacob Rathvon,

a gunsmith, who settled in that town in 1810, and died there

in 1839. His mother was Catharine Myers, of York county,

•who died at Marietta in 1825, His grandfather was George

liathvon, the subject of the above, sketch, and his grand-

mother was a Kramer, of Warwick township. His great

grandfather was Christian Rathvon, who, with a brother,

named George, emigrated from South Germany, or Switzer-

land, about the year 1740, and settled in Conestoga town-

ship, near Conestoga Centre, where the original residence is

still pointed out, and from whom all in this country of that


name have sprung. It may be necessary here to say, that

the name was originally spelled Rathfong, and that it has no

relational affinity with the Eathbones, Rathburns, Eathbuns,

or Ruthvens, which are of English or Scotch origin, unless

one may have been derived from the other in Europe before

their migration to America. The g, at the end of the name,

is now universally disused, although many retain the / in

preference to the v. It is stated, on the authority of an

emigrant from the canton of Berne, in Switzerland, that the

name still exists there, and this is the only accessible evi-

dence, in support of the supposition, that that country is the

fatherland of the subject of this sketch and his progenitors.

There was nothing in the early career of the subject of

this sketch to distinguish particularly him from the other

boys among whom he mingled. Inheriting a delicate con-

stitution from his mother, at the age of eight years he was

sent to a day-school, kept by a John Smith, in his native

town, where he continued two quarters, learning the alpha-

bet and spelling in one syllable. After an interval of three

months, he was sent two quarters to Samuel Eoss of the

same place, but did not make more than a very ordinary

progress. In the winter of 1821-22 he attended two quar-

ters at the school of George Briscoe, where he made more

progress in one month than he had during the whole pre-

vious periods put together, and left school in the spring, able

to " read, write, and cypher"—at least as far as compound-

addition. Although possessed of industrious habits, a reten-

tive memory and ordinary perceptions, he did not seem to

have a very clear appreciation of the advantages of an ele-

mental education, until too late in life to avail himself of the

usual opportunities of obtaining it, and therefore, at ten

years he hired himself to different farmers in east and west

Donegal and Eapho townships, among whom he spent five

years doing farm work, alternating it during the spring sea-

son with working along the Susquehanna river at such labor

as boys of his age could perform. On the 9th day of July,

1827, he bound himself an apprentice to John Bell, tailor, of

Marietta, for five years—without stipulating for any school-

ing—and served him to the best of his ability to the end of


the term. Bell was by no means a man of letters, and there-

fore his immediate opportunities for intellectual culture were

very limited. Moderately fond of reading, he was kindly

furnished with books by Jacob Grosh, esq., and Mr. Abra-

ham N. Cassel, from their private libraries, which was con-

tinued for two or three years.

A few. weeks after the expiration of his term of service

with Mr. Bell, through a combination of circumstances which

he could not resist at the time, he commenced the tailoring

business on his own account, in his native town, on the first

of September, 1832, although he was not yet twenty-one

years of age. In a month or six weeks after this event, he

became a member of a thespian society, and was elected its

secretary, and also took a prominent part in its representa-

tions on the stage. Here he came in social contact with

some of the literary men of the town and vicinity, and then,

too, he became conscious of his own literary deficiencies,

and he availed himself of all the opportunities for intellectual

improvement which it aflbrded. Perhaps his whole subse-

quent scientific and literary advancement, received its first

impulse from his connection with this society, and his social

intercourse with these men. New planes of thought, new

avenues of intelligence, and new standpoints for meditation

seemed to be opened to him, and without always possessing the

discriminating ability to sift the wheat from the chaff, still he

made progress in intellectual culture, at least. This relation

continued until the first of November, 1833, when he dis-

posed of his establishment, and went to reside in Philadel-

phia, where he remained, principally in the employ of

Thomas McGrath, until May 20th, 1834, when he returned

to his native place, and reestablished himself in business.

At Philadelphia he fortunately fell into good hands, by the

selection of a boarding house conducted by three intelligent

Quaker ladies, who were sisters. The house contained none

but orderly inmates, and these were of different degrees of

intelligence, but from all of whom our subject was enabled

to learn something, or to receive a valuable impression.

On the 27th of May, 1834, Mr. Eathvon was married to

Catharine Freyberger, whose family had only been removed

•ibS BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

two generations from tlie fatherland, (the Grand Duchy of

Baden,) in the vicinity of Heidelberg, being the consumma-

tion of a long prior engagement.

Commencing married life with little more than twenty

dollars in his purse, and with no dependencies, save Provi-

dence and. his own energies, many of its earlier years were

but a series of struggles to sustain a family—which ulti-

mated in seven sons and four daughters—and to maintain

an intact integrity. On the 1st of September, 1839, he dis-

continued business again in Marietta, and took a situation in

the store of a brother who was in the dry goods business

in Lancaster city, where he continued until the 1st of March,

18-41, when he returned to his native place and commenced

business there for the third time. He continued in business

with reasonable success until the 1st of November, 1848,

when he removed with his family and located permanently

in the city of Lancaster, and went into the employ of Mr. F.

J. Kramph, merchant tailor, on the corner of North Queen

and Orange streets, as foreman and book-keeper, and con-

tinued in his employ until his death, on the 18th of April,

1858. In the summer of 1842, at Marietta, he commenced

the collection of insects and the study of entomology, so far

as it was compatible with his attention to his usual occupa-

tion, which was his sole reliance for the support of his family.

Prior to that period, however, as early as 1837, under the

inspiration of Josiah Holbrook, a Lyceum of Natural Sci-

ence had been established in Marietta, and our subject be-

came a member of it, and made a collection of minerals and

a small one of birds. Trifling as these things may seem, yet

they were valuable intellectual and moral aids in elevating

his mind above mere sensual indulgence. In 1844 his first

literary composition was published in the columns of the

Argus, a weekly newspaper of the place. While in the

employ of Mr. Kramph, he became a writer of moral and

miscellaneous essays, and also of practical contributions to

entomology, which were published in the Farm Journal, the

Marriettian, and various other papers.

In March, 1859, he purchased the stock in the establish-

ment of his late employer, and commenced the business of


a merchant tailor on his own account, devoting such inter-

vals from labor as he could conveniently command, to the

pursuit of his specialty in natural history, and in various

literary pursuits; and his miscellaneous writings, over the

pseudonym of Grantellus, as well as over his own proper

signature or initials, have appeared from time to time in the

various newspapers of Lancaster city and county. He has

for years been in the habit of contributing articles for manyof the leading scientific and literary journals of the country.

Several of his papers upon entomology have been published

in the State and national departments of agriculture.

Near the close of 1850, and after a conflict with the merely

worldly man, Mr. Rathvon identified himself, through re-

baptism, with the New Jerusalem church—perhaps better

known outside of that organization, as the "Swedenborgiaa

church"—having for some years previously been, to some

extent, a reader and receiver of its fundamental doctrines.

His father was of Moravian stock, his mother of Lutheran,

but his own earliest religious instruction was in the Presby-

terian church. It was not common in his childhood and

youth, for parents to inculcate any special doctrinal truths.

That was left to the Sunday-schools and the church. But

before reaching any definite theological conclusion, he passed

over what*he has always since considered a rugged, a dark,

and a dangerous way. Indifference, "nothingarianism,"

nominal universalism, skepticism, pantheism, deism, and so-

called rationalism, all, by turns, suggested themselves to his

mind as the ultimatum of religious truth. But his mental

organization was such, that he could not divest his mind of

the doubts usually involved in these and many other forms

of mere materialism. He was also more or less influenced

by that superficial and uncharitable assumption which con-

demns a creed because its receivers are faithless to its teach-

ings. If the sentiments involved in the various isms wereunsatisfying to his mind, so were also those of popular

orthodoxy. Therefore, when the doctrines of the new church

were presented to him, his first impression was that they

were beautiful, .if true ; and then that if they were not true,

they ought to be true; and, finally, that they luere the truth,


SO far as he was able to compreliend the truth. Although

convinced that they are the truth, without qualification, yet

he is just as fully convinced that no man rationally and

practically believes any farther than he truly understands.

Our subject, on his own individual account, has never

solicited social or political position, power or place, and,

indeed, through deafness, which gradually came upon himafter 1841, he has felt himself quite incompetent for the dis-

charge of many duties which otherwise he might discharge

with ability. Nevertheless, he has for forty years been a

member of different organizations, and has been honored

with the confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens. In

1831, and while he was yet an apprentice, he was elected a

member of a volunteer company, and served in that capacity

for eight years, during the last four of which he was its com-

mander, holding his captain's commission from Joseph

Eitner, Governor of Pennsylvania. He was, in addition to

others named, a member of the borough council, and secre-

tary of the thespian society, the amateur band of Mari-

etta, and a performing member in both the latter; a-

member of the board of common schools, of the select

council, a trustee of the Children's Home, in Lancaster city.

He is now professor of entomology in the " Pennsylvania

Horticultural Society," corresponding membeiy of the

"Academy of Natural Sciences" of Philadelphia, and of

the "American Entomological Society;" honorary mem-ber and entomologist of the "Fruit Growers' Society" of

Pennsylvania, and of the " Agricultural and Horticultural

Society" of Lancaster county; an honorary member of the

"Diagnothian Literary Society " of Franklin and Marshall

college, and of the "Page Literary Society" of the State

Normal School, at Millersville; secretary and leader of the

New Jerusalem Society," chairman of the library committee

of the "Mechanics' Society," and treasurer of the "Linnasan

Society " ' of Lancaster city. In several of these he is an

•Mr. Eathvon Tvas one of the founders and incorporators of the " Lin-

nsean Society' ' of Lancaster county, and was one of its most active and

punctual members, never having been absent from a single meeting

since its first organization in 1861. No other member has been instru-

mental in contributing so largely and so continuously to its museum, its


active working member. He is alsoa member of Lodge No.

43, A. Y. M.; of Chapter 43, R. A. M.; of " Goodwin Coun-

cil," No. — ; and of " Lancaster Commandery," No. 18, of

Kniglits Templar, and of the " Empire Hook and Ladder

Company." If wealth and political or social distinction,

however, be the only evidences of a successful career in this

world, then the life of the subject of this memoir can scarcely

be claimed as a success.

He is still delving quietly and unostentatiously, in his

professional calling, and in his usual literary and scientific

pursuits, making no higher pretension than a mere amateur

in these. He is now in his sixtieth year, with his usual en-

ergy and health, and. has seen most of the companions of

his youth one by one pass away; himself, his wife, and eight

children, still surviving—five sons and three daughters.

Without any very special patronage, and with nothing

but untiring industry, he has not only supported and

moderately educated his large family, but has accumulated

a library of nearly a thousand volumes, costing nearly two

thousand dollars ; a clever mineralogical collection, and

nearly ten thousand species of insects of different orders, but

mainly coleoptera ; besides a comfortable home. Perhaps,

after all, such an example from the lower walks of life, will

be as a beneficial to posterity as one of more transcendant

talents and a higher social and pecuniary position. Those

in humble life are often overawed by the commanding

abilities of many occupying positions so far above theirs, and

they are also often deterred from making any attempt to

archives, and its library; scarcely a mouth passing in which he has not

read one or more papers on natural science before it, or in some waycontributed to its material support. Much of that persevering thought

and carefulness of details so necessary in sustaining a society of this

kind, and the jjatient labor of carrying its resolves into effect, has de-

volved on him, and perhaps no society has made any more cheei'ful, con-

stant, and unselfish working member. He was also one of the founders

of the " Lancaster County Agricultui-al and Horticultural Society ;" and

of the Lancaster Farmer, a monthly periodical established under its

auspices, and devoted to its interests. He was its senior editor from its

very beginning, and no nunrber of that journal has appeared in which

he has not been a contributor to its columns. Although, professedly,

neither an agriculturist or horticulturist, and without any immediate

472 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOKY

alter or better their condition, simply because they have not

a more advantageous starting point. If it is impossible for

all men to distinguish themselves, at least all may be better

than they are, and achieve more if they will. Perhaps

nothing has contributed more to the success of our subject,

so far as his life has been a success, than his industry and per-

severance, supported by an integrity that never repudiated or

evaded a pecuniary, social or domestic responsibility, or an

obligation; and that alone ought to infuse into others, in

like circumstances, sufficient encouragement to " go and do

likewise."

As a scientist, 3. S. Rathvon is an ardent student and

lover of nature. In the department of entomology he is

especially distinguished, as he is also in the kindred sciences.

As a writer upon entomological subjects, he is justly en-

titled to rank amongst the first investigators of the science

in the whole coiintry. He is diligent and devoted in the

pursuit of his favorite studies, and perhaps there is no in-

stance in America of such an incessant, self-sacrificing pur-

suit of knowledge, under adverse circumstances, as his has

been. After the ordinary business labors of the day are

past, he spends every night almost in his study until twelve,

two, three, and four o'clock in the morning enveloped in study

;

and then retiring for a few hours he rises and breakfasts, and

is at his place of business by the usual hour in the morning.

His are the ardor and application of a Cuvier, or a Hum-boldt, and but for his surroundings and obstacles, a high

niche in the temple of fame could have been achieved.

pecuniary interest in these vocations, yet he has always given the vreight

of his intluence, so far as it might be useful to every enterprise that had for

its object the welfare and the advancement of these departments of humanlabor ; and this, too, without any pecuniary reward. He has been for

more than twenty years a member of the New Jerusalem Society of Lan-

caster, and for two-thirds of that period has been its "leader" in public

worship and the superintendent of its Sunday-school; and has uni-

formly been punctual in the discharge of the duties devolving uponhim in these capacities. Seeing that, for the greater part of the time,

he stands almost isolated in this community, deprived of the sustaining

influence of larger religious communities, our subject exhibits a con-

sistent adherence to religious principle, that is not always met with

where there are no ulterior worldly ends to accomplish.


Fortune seems not to have bestowed upon him the con-

ditions necessary for the highest scientific attainment, yet

he has far outstripped others more favorably circumstanced.

His has been the school of difficulties, and nobly has he

risen, despite his surroundings, and achieved a higher degree

of moral worth than otherwise he might have been able to

attain. It is in this latter particular that he has risen to the

perfection of manhood, and exhibits a shining example of

high moral tone but seldom attainable by man. In this he

is a nobleman, indeed ;and but few know the great superi-

ority and high moral sublimity of this true example of

Christian manhood. Nobler sentiments than imteue his

whole life and conversation, never influenced a Socrates, a

Seneca, or a Confucius ; and not in act only, but in thought

^does this high moral standard pervade his feelings. Noaction that he feels to be wrong, could he be induced to com-

mit. Unkind feelings he entertains towards no specimen

of mankind ; no slander ever falls from his lips ; nor does he

give utterance to any ungenerous remarks, it matters not

how any one may have injured him. Perfectly unselfish in

all his actions, his efforts instead of being incited by sinister

motives, are prompted alone by a desire to elevate mankind,

and diffuse generally the principles of morality. If there be

one man in our county who has endeavored with all his soul to

take up into the whole substance of his being, constitution

and actions, the moral excellence of Christ's teachings and

example, as recorded in the Evangelist, that man is the sub-

ject of our notice. He has done this so far as weak and

erring humanity is capable. Not for the applause of the

world is his conduct shaped ; his own internal sense of right

is his guiding star. "What popular opinion may be, he

cares not ; only so far as it accords with the promptings of

that informed monitor of his bosom, does he give it audience.

He, however, condemns no man who may differ with him in

opinion, freely permitting others to enjoy their own senti-

ments as their consciences may dictate. His example and

life are worthy of imitation, and if a higher reward than

mere earthly be the lot of devoted aspiration to the subject

of our notice, a large inheritance will be his portion.

83


RAUCH, Rudolph F., was elected Prothonotary of Lan- .

caster county in the year 1842.

RAWLINS, JoHX, elected a member of the Legislature

in 1853.

EEED, Blias, emigrated from Germany about the year

1761, and first settled with his family in Bucks county, Pa.

A few years afterwards he removed with his family to the

valley of the Wyoming, where he took up four hundred

acres of land. He did little more, however, than build a log

cabin for himself and family, and a stable for his horses and

cattle, when he was compelled, by the hostility of the Indian

savages, to return to Bucks county, leaving behind him his

horses and cattle. His log cabin and stable were burned as

soon as his family had fled to save their lives. He had four

sons, one of whom enlisted under Gen. Wayne, and served^

under him during the whole period of the Revolution.

REED, Jqhx K., a banker of Lancaster city, and a manof estimable and highly honorable character. He was in

1851 elected prothonotary of Lancaster county, and in Octo-

ber, 1870, elected one of the board of county commissioners.

He was elected commissioner by the vote of both political

parties.

REED, Peter, youngest son of Elias Reed, came and

settled in the town of Lancaster, (now city), about the year

1783. As a citizen he was highly honored and muchrespected, and held several important of&ces in the county

of Lancaster.

REED, Peter, jr., son of the last named, was elected high

sheriff of Lancaster connty, in 1836, and held the same for

three years.

REED, Thomas, one of the first legislative delegates from

Lancaster county in 1829.

REDDIG, Jacob, of West Cocalico township, was born

October 7th, 1794. His grandfather emigrated from near

Manheim, in Germany, and settled in Lancaster county at an

early day. His father was named Jacob, and died in 1854,

aged 84 years. The subject of this notice followed the

mercantile business from the age of eighteen years up till


1862, when lie retired and lias since been living in retire-

ment upon one of his farms. He was elected a member of

the Legislature in the year 1837.

*REICHENBACH, John Chbistian William, was born

January 26, 1719, in Swartzburg-Eudolstadt, Upper Saxony,

Prussia. Little is immediately accessible in reference to either

his ancestry or his youth, but from the fact that he received

a liberal scientific and classical education, for that period,

the inference is, that his family occupied an easy, if not a

distinguished social position in his native country. This is

rendered further probable from the fact that he graduated,

or at least attended the university at Marseilles, in France.

In 1785 he left Germany, and spent some years in travel, or

engaged in some learned occupation. At all events, he

reached Lancaster, Pennsylvania, about 1780, and was imme-

diately appointed professor of mathematics and Germanliterature in Franklin college, then just going into opera-

tion. Soon thereafter he married Mrs. Elizabeth Graeff,

formerly Miss Schwartz, hj whom he had a number of chil-

dren, all of whom are dead, and some of whom he survived.

In addition to his duties as professor in the college,' and also

for some j'ears subsequently, he jDracticed surveying and

gauging, in the county of Lancaster. He was originally a

member of the Moravian denomination, and sometimes

preached lay sermons in their church in Lancaster, and

otherwise made himself generally useful.

About the same time that Eeichenbach arrived in Lan-

csster, Henry von Beulow, a German nobleman, and a native

of Prussia, who in his early years had adopted the military

profession, also arrived there, and spent some time in it.

Von Buelow had embraced the peculiar theological and

philosophical views of Emanuel Swedenborg. Eeichenbach

and Buelow soon became acquainted, and socially and intel-

' Franklin college was originally located in Nortli Queen street, Lan-

caster, near James street, and for many years vras known as the "bar-

racks," the "old stone house," and subsequently as "Franklin row."

It was suspended finally for the want of pecuniary resources, and it is

probable that Reicheubach only engaged in the occupation of surveyor

and gauger after its suspension.

* Contribitted by S. S. Rathvon.


lectually affiliated, and this soon led to a theological and

philosophical affiliation. The latter had brought with him

from Germany a number of the works of Swedenborg, for

gratuitous circulation and for sale. On examining these doc-

trines, Reichenbach embraced them and avowed them openly.

He afterwards translated and published several works on the

doctrines of Swedenborg—otherwise called the " NewChurch,"—one of which was entitled Agathon, which was

published in both English and German, from the Latin

manuscripts of Von Buelow, copies of which are still extant.

Eeiohenbach was an extensive writer, and at his death left a

large mass of manuscript, which never was subsequently

utilized, and finally became extinct through age, mould and

mice. These consisted of theological and philosophical spec-

ulations, Latin and Greek translations, solutions of mathe-

matical problems, and sacred and sentimental poems. It is

fair to infer, that some of his compositions must have been

published under pseudonyms, not now recognizable in the

Halcyon Luminary ^ the Dawn of Light, and other new church

publications of his day. He led a peaceable and useful life,

universally respected, in the companionship of Damish, Eck-

stein, Carpenter, Bailey, Ehrenfried and others, who com-

posed the little b*a,nd of " Receivers," after the return of VonBuelow to Europe, and at last was gathered to his fathers

on the 15th of May, 1821, in the 73d year of his natural life.

How deeply impressed he was with the Swedenborgian

doctrine of the resurrection, may be inferred from the in-

scription on his tombstone

:

" By a process which they call death, the earthly part sunk here pre-

cipitated;

The nobler part, by our good Lord, rose heavenly sublimated.

EEIGART,^ Adam, was an innkeeper during the Amer-

ican Revolution, keeping his house on the west side of North

Queen street, near Centre Square. His hotel was the Whigheadquarters during the Revolution, and here the supreme

' It was at the house of Adam Reigart that the lots were di'awn in

order to determine upon which one of the British officers, held as pris-

oners of war at Lancaster during the Revolution, the execution of the

lex talionis should take place in retaliation for the murder of Captain

Hudy, who had been executed at New York in violation of military law.


Executive Council held its sessions when in Lancaster. He

was Lieutenant-colonel of a regiment under the command of

Colonel George Ross, and marched with his regiment to Am-boy, in New Jersey, and served with it until the regiment

was discharged. He was in various encounters which his

regiment had with the British during his service as one of

its commanding officers. He was elected a member of the

Legislature for the year 1780.

RBIGART, EiiANUEL, son of Adam Reigart, was a tanner

and currier by occupation, and cari'ied on this business quite

extensively. He Avas elected repeatedly a member of the

Legislature, being a member during the sessions of 1813,

1814, 1816, 1817. He was cotemporary as a legislator in

1814-15 with James Buchanan, when the latter was making

his first debut in political life. In 1821 he was elected

sheriff of Lancaster county. He also served once in the

office of coroner.

REIGART, Emanuel C, son of Emanuel Reigart, was

born in Lancaster in the year 1797, and was for many years

one of the leading and influential men of the city. He read

law with Amos Ellraaker, and was admitted to the bar April

19th, 1822. Belonging to one of the old and influential

families of the county, Mr. Reigart soon took a leading rank

in his profession, and for many years was recognized as one

of the ablest lawyers of the city. In 1834 he was nominated

and elected to the Legislature, on what was known as the

Anti-Masonic ticket. While in the Legislature he submit-

The drawing of the lots Tras conducted by Colonel George Gibson, and

the lot fell upon Captain Sir Charles Asgill. As soon as Gibson per-

ceived upon whom the lot had fallen, he remarked to Captain Stake

(pointing to Asgilli, there is your ijrisoner. Asgill was immediately

ordered under the command of Captain Stake, who, upon the solicitation

and pledge of honor of Major Gordon, another British officer, surren-

dered Asgill to his keeping for a few days. "When Major Gordon wasconducting Asgill away from the place where the lots had been drawn,

the latter partially fainted and fell prostrate. Major Gordon upbraid-

ingly remarked to him : "For God's sake dou't disgrace your colors."

Through the interposition of lady Asgill, the mother of Sir Charles, the

French Minister used his influence with Washington and obtained his

release, and thus rescued him from being executed, as otherwise he would

have been, in obedience to the leer talionii.


ted a minority report in favor of the school law of 1809,

instead of that of 1834. On the 2-4th of February, 1835, he

delivered a speech, favoring the resolution offered by Mr.

Stevens for the suppression of Masonic oaths.' On Kovem-ber 14th, 1843, Emanuel C. Eeigart addressed a letter to

Henry Clay (then the prominent candidate of the Whigs for

the presidential nomination), interrogating him as to his

connection with the institution of Free Masonry. To this

Clay replied, that he had joined the order in early life, but

that he had entirely retired from connection with the lodge

for upwards of nineteen years. In 1887-38 Mr. Eeigart was

a member of the State Constitutional Convention and took

a prominent part therein, generally cooperating with Thad-

deus Stevens—also a member of the Convention—on im-

portant questions. With him were associated in this con-

vention, from Lancaster county, Henry G. Long, Williana

Hiester, Lindley Coates, Jeremiah Brown, James Porter,

Dr. Cochran, and Joseph Konigmacher. In 1846 Mr. Eei-

gart was the Native American candidate for Congress from

Lancaster county, and in 1847 he was the Native American

candidate for Governor, against Shunk, Democrat, and Irwin,

Whig, and received 11,000 votes in the State. When a

young man, Mr. Eeigart enlisted in 1814 in the company

raised by Captain Edward Shippen, which marched for

the defense of Baltimore. In the same company were James

Buchanan, Molton C. Eodgers, Dr. F. A. Muhlenberg, and

in fact the elite of Lancaster. At a mass meeting held in

Lancaster in 1848, Mr. Eeigart nominated Thaddeus Stevens

for Congress, which was the first public nomination Mr.

Stevens had ever received for that position.

In the year 1848 Mr. Eeigart retired permanently from

the practice of the profession. In 1851, having been ap-

pointed commissioner by President Fillmore, to attend the

' The Anti-Masons were opposed to the administration of extra judi-

cial oaths, such as were alleged by them to he imposed upon Masons,

and they desired the enactment of a law that would prevent such oaths

from being administered. They feared that these oaths would come in

conflict with the administration of justice. No oaths, they argued, should

be allowed to be administered that might in any wise conflct with those

of a judicial character.

OF LAXCASTER COUXTT. 479

World's Fair in London, lie fulfilled the duties of this ap-

pointment, and next made a tour of the continent, visiting

all the places of interest that delight the intelligent toiirist.

The latter part of Mr. Eeigart's life was spent in retirement,

and in the management of his extensive estate. A few years

before his death he was appointed by Judge Cadwallader,

United States Commissioner for this district, a position he

held at the time of his death. He died December 20th, 1869.

Mr. Eeigart was a man of considerable benevolence. Hewas the founder of the Lancaster Athenaeum, having endowed

the institution with S2500. A few years before his decease

he gave to the Howard Association $1000, to be used for

the relief of the poor of the city of Lancaster.

EBIGAET, Hexkt M., was elected commissioner of Lan-

caster county, in the year 1822. He was afterwards post-

master of the city of Lancaster.

EEIGAET, Franklix, J., a native of Lancaster, and a manof considerable intellectual vigor. He studied civil engi-

neering, and served in this business under Mr. Gay, from

1834: till 1836, on the Columbia and Philadelphia railroad.

He aided in the location of the Harrisburg and Lancaster

railroad. He was surveyor for Lancaster, and published the

first map of the city. He was the first to get up meetings

to start the lâncaster gas works, and also for the newmarkets. He was appointed clerk of quarter sessions in the

year 1889. He served for some years as an alderman, and

also for some time as recorder of the city of Lancaster. Heis now engaged as patent agent in Washington city.

EEINHOLD, Jesse, was elected a member of the Legis-

lature in the year 1855.

EEINOEHL, A. C, is a native of Lancaster county, and

a graduate of Franklin and Marshall college, Pennsylvania.

He served with credit to himself in the war of the rebellion.

After retiring from the army he read law, and was admitted

to the bar in 1866. In 1867 he was elected a member of

the Legislature, and twice reelected in the years 1868 and

1870. In the year 1871 he was appointed deputy secretary

of the commonwealth.


EEIST FAMILY. Peter Reist, the founder of this family,

was a native of Switzerland, whom religious persecution first

drove to the Palatinate, and afterward to America. While

in the Palatinate he married his wife, whose maiden namewas Anna Clara Boyer. He arrived in Lancaster county in

the year 1723, and became a convert to the Mennonite faith.

He built himself a cabin near Kissel Hill, which was claimed

by a man named Witmer. He relinquished possession of

this and went about two miles northwest, where he took

possession of sis hundred acres of land. Two hundred acres

of this tract is yet in possession of John and Jacob Reist,

great-great-grandsons of the first settler. Peter Reist had

five sons and two daughters. The sons were Peter, Chris-

tian, Abraham, Jacob and John. Peter settled in Leb-

anon county, Pennsylvania, and Christian died without

heirs. Abraham acquired considerable property and left

numerous descendants. Abraham H. Reist, of Lancaster, is

his great-grandson. Among his descendants are the Reists

of Shaefferstown, Lebanon county, and those in Lingles-

town, DaujDhin county, and in Canada are also of them.

His blood flows in the Reigarts, Swarrs, Bears, Stauffers,

Hostetters Vand Hersheys, of Lancaster county. Jacob

Eeist was killed on Braddock's field, July 9th, 1756.

John Reist retained the old homestead, with four hundred

acres of land, on which John Reist, his great-grandson, yet

resides. John had five sons and three daughters, viz : Chris-

tian, Abraham, Jacob, John, and Peter. Christian retained

the old homestead, and Abraham procured an adjoining tract

of land. Ezra Reist, prison inspector, is the latter's grand-

son. Jacob died unmarried ; and John left a son in Erie

county, New York, named John Reist, a Reformed Mennon-

ite clergyman. Peter settled between Oregon and Millport.

One of Peter's sisters was married to a man named Kauff-

man, and settled in Virginia ; another was married to a mannamed Bomberger, grandfather of Rev. Christian Bomber-

ger. The other sister married a Hostetter, the father of

Henry Hostetter, a member of the Legislature in 1827.

Rev. Charles Hostetter, a Mennonite clergyman, is a grand-

son of Hostetter, first named.


Peter Eeist ' had two sous, John and Jacob, and one

daughter, the mother of the wife of Greybill Bear, of Mount

Joy, and Joseph Brubaker's wife, of Warwick. John was a

well educated and talented young man. He was commis-

sioned a justice of the peace of Manheim township, and

died at the early age of thirty-two years. He was a surveyor,

and with Jacob Hibshman and Charles Montelius, laid out

the towns of Warwick and New Ephrata, now called Lincoln.

Joseph Eitner, afterwards Governor of Pennsylvania, was

a hireling for some time in the employ of Peter Eeist, then

being a poor young man. When he became Governor he

paid his old friends in Warwick township a visit, and spent

a night with Jacob Eeist, who had been oft his playmate

when in the employ of Peter, his father. He made numer-

ous observations, and remarked the great changes that had

taken place on the farms since he had lived in that section.

Eitner, ^ on that occasion conversed freely on politics.

Having been for years a prominent Democrat, he remarked

the great strength of the Masonic order, and said that he

believed, had he been a Free-Mason, he would have been

nominated for Governor by the Democrats at the time Wolfwas made their candidate. His conscientious scruples, how-

ever, prevented his being a Free-Mason.

The Eeists were all originally Democrats, but left the

' Peter Reist was an ardent Democrat, aud when the news came that

Jefferson was elected President over Burr in 1800, happening to be in

Lancaster, and expressing his joy at the result, the Federalists fell upon

him, and he with difficulty made his escape to his home.

2 When Joseph Ritner was elected Governor in 1835, being free aud

nutrammeled of pledges, he chose his cabinet officers without any pre-

vious bargaining. He had concluded in his own mind to tender the

jSecretaryship of State to Amos Ellmaker, of Lancaster. Mr. EUmaker..declined the position, but at the same time recommended Thomas H.

Burrowes, who had studied law in his office, and to whom he felt

.attached. He assured the Governor that Mr. Burrowes was fully com-

petent for the iôsition, and if any assistance would be needed he would

cheerfully render him any aid. This recommendation of Mr. Ellmaker

made Thomas H. Burrowes Secretary of State, and was the foundation

of his prominence as a Pennsylvania school man. Had Mr. Ellmaker

recommended Henry G. Long or Emanuel C. Reigart, Mr. Burrowes

would never have been Secretary of State, The word of an influeutial

man is therefore potent.


party at the same time that James Buchanan joined it.

Simon Eeist, grandson of Peter, was one of the nine men in

1855, who organized the Eepublican party in Lancaster

county.

Jacob Eeist was somewhat an active politician ia his day,

and is now living, a man of advanced years, in Petersburg,

Lancaster county. He had four sons, Simon, Peter, Levi

and Isaac ;also, five daughters, Elizabeth, married to Samuel

Eoyer;Anna, married to Greybill Bear ; Catharine, married

to Henry L. Landis;Barbara, married to A. D. Greybill, and

Levina, married to H. H. Oberholtzer. Isaac died single,

and Simon died in 1862, near Lancaster, leaving four sons,

Henry, Linnaeus, John and Simon.

EEIST, Levi S., of Warwick township, was born April

13th, 1817. He was raised upon a farm, and has been en-

gaged in agricultural pursuits all his lifetime. In politics

he has always been a leading man in his district, and in 1848

was one of the delegates from Lancaster county to the State

convention of the Whig party that nominated a canal com-

missioner, and chose presidential electors which elected

General Taylor President of the United States. In 1851 he

was elected a justice of the peace for his township, a position

he filled for ten years. He was elected in 1859 one of the

board of county commissioners,' a position he held for three

years. In 1866 he was one of three who signed a call for a

'The office of county commissioner was, during the rebellion espe-

cially, one of grave responsibility. New duties devolved upon the

board which required rare judgment to discharge with entire satisfac-

tion. The commissioners, together with two of the judges of the court,

were constituted a board of relief for distributing aid from the

public funds to the widows and families of soldiers in destitute circum-

stances. The commissioners were required to procure arms, and havethem in readiness for defense along the border, if occasion should

require. The first muskets received by them, were old flint-locks that

were lying idle in the State ai'senal at Harrisburg, and which they hadaltered into percussion locks by Henry E. Leman, gunsmith, of Lan-

caster. They were furnished at another time with one thousand newmuskets, for which the county gave bonds. They were frequently-

solicited to furnish quarters for soldiers in the national service, and onseveral occasions did so ; at one time on €he fair grounds, and on other

occasions soldiers were quartered in the coiu-t house and in the churches

of the city. In the beginning of the war the commissioners oii'ered a


meeting, which laid the foundation of the Lancaster Agri-

cultural and Horticultural Society, and was the first president

of the same. He aided actively in the establishment of the

Lancaster Farmer^ in January, 1869, and during the first year

was on the editorial corps, and has ever since been one of

its leading contributors.

EEITZEL, JoHX, was appointed Eecorder of Deeds in

1821.

EEYNOLDS, John, a native of Lancaster county, was

the editor of the Journal for many years before its union

with the Intelligencer. After his retirement from editorial

life, he moved to Cornwall, and assumed the management of

the iron works at that place. He was chosen guardian of

the minor children of Thomas B. Coleman. He remained

the manager at Cornwall until about 18-17, when he returned

to Lancaster. In 1822 he was elected a member of the

Legislature, and reelected in 1823. He died in Baltimore,

May 11th, 1853, in the 67th year of his age. He is the

father of General John F. Reynolds and James L. Rey-

nolds, esq.

""REYNOLDS, Major General, John Fulton, was born

in Lancaster, Pa., on the 21st of September, 1820. He was

educated in the schools of his native city, and in 1837 was

bounty of fifty dollars for one regiment of ten companies for nine

months. Instead of ten companies fourteen companies were raised.

Muskets were distributed to the citizens by the commissioners, whowere em-olled pro tempore for the presei-vation of law while the drafting

process was being performed at the court house, in Lancaster', during

the year 1863. This was deemed necessary on the part of the authori-

ties, in order to repress strong indications of riot that were manifesting

themselves upon the occasion referred to. The reason of this was, that

as great difference of sentiment prevailed amongst the people of the

Noiiih as to the justice of the war against the South, many were uu-

wiUing to be compelled to fight in a cause that they regarded unjust

and unconstitutional. Those amongst whom the riotous proceedings

were manifested, were generaUy the German inhabitants of the city,

many of whom were in principle opposed to the war policy of the

government. A few citizens were arrested, but order was again re-

stored, when a number of the inhabitants of the city were anned with

muskets, and so detailed about the court house as to intimidate au. outbreak.

*Coiitributed by J. M. W. Geist.


appointed a cadet at West Point. He graduated from the

Military Academy in ISil ; in July of tiie same year he wasappointed brevet second lieutenant in the Third Artillery,

and was ordered to Fort McHenry, Baltimore; three months

later he was promoted to a second lieutenancy ; early in

1843 he was ordered to St. Augustine, and at the close of

the year was transferred to Fort Moultrie. In 1845 he was

sent to Corpus Christi, and afterwards to Fort Brown. In

June, 1846, he was promoted to first lieutenant, and marched

with his battery, accompanying General Taylor's army, into

Mexico; was engaged at the battle of Monterey, and two

days thereafter was breveted captain for gallant conduct.

On the 21st of February, 1847, he was in the battle of Buena

Yista, and received the brevet of major for meritorious ser-

vices. At the close of the Mexican war he was sent to the

forts on the coast of New England, where he remained four

years, when he was appointed a staff ofScer to General

Twiggs; and in 1853 went to New Orleans, but in the follow-

ing year returned to the east, and was stationed at Fort

Lafayette, until he was attached to an expedition which was

sent across the plains to Utah. He reached Salt Lake City

in August, 18^4 ; in March, 1855, he was promoted to a

captaincy, and sent across the mountains to California.

During the year he remained on the Pacific coast, he engaged

in expeditions against the Indians, commanded posts, and at

one time was on a board to examine candidates for admis-

sion into the army from civil life. In December, 1856, he

arrived at Fortress Monroe, and in the summer of 1858 was

placed in command of battery C, of the Third regiment, and

was ordered to cross the plains with his command, to Utah.

The battery was one of the most eflScient in the service, and

hence Secretary Floyd sought to destroy it, by mounting it.

and sending it across the Eocky Mountains. The company,

however, arrived in safety at Fort Vancouver, in December,

1859.

In September, 1860, Major Reynolds was appointed com-

mander of cadets at West Point ; in May, 1861, he was ap-

pointed lieutenant-colonel of the Fourteenth Infantry, and

sent to New London, Connecticut, to recruit his regiment to


its maximum strength for service in the rebellion.' In

August he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general

of volunteers, and was ordered to command Fort Hatteras;

but, at the request of Governor Curtin, General Reynolds

was assigned to the command of the first brigade of the

Pennsylvania Eeserve Corps. He marched and fought with,

his brigade on the peninsula, and in Pope's campaign.

General Pope says in his report

:

"Brigadier-General JohnF. Reynolds, commanding the Pennsylvania

Reserves, merits the highest commendation at my hands. Prompt,

active and energetic, he commanded his di^Hsion with distinguished

ability throughout the operations, and performed his duties in all situa-

tions with zeal aud fidelity.

After the retreat of General Pope to the defences around

Washington, it became apparent that the enemy contem-

plated an invasion of Maryland, and probably of Pennsyl-

vania. Governor Curtin, therefore, on the 4th of September,

1862, issued a proclamation calling out 75,000 of the State

'The period of the Southern rebellion was one that called forth a tone

of sentiment in Lancaster county which camiot, with due propriety, as

it seems to us, be passed over in silence. A state of feeling existed,

that it is to be hoped will never again be experienced. After the elec-

tion of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency, in 1860, the Southern States,

one after another, prepared to put their long asserted resolves into exe-

cution ; and in December of that year, Sovith Carohna passed an ordi-

nance of secession, severing her allegiance from the Federal Union.

This step was looked upon by our people as an ebullition of anger that

would amount to nothing ; and when any one happened to express his

fears that the event betokened something serious, he was met by the

remark, "0 this will souiiblowocer,'' or, "we can whip them in two loeeks,"

and language of that character, all going to show that no adequate idea

was entertained of the magnitude of the difficulties that were threaten-

ing the country.

When at length the bulletin board, on the morning of April 13th, 1861,

told the sad news that Fort Sumter had been tired upon, it was surrounded

by a crazed multitvule, as it would have seemed, and thi-eats were in

every mouth almost, that the Southern States should be wiped out of

existence. Even to intimate a doubt of the speedy downfall of the

rebellion, was accepted by the infuriated as evidence of treasonable

sentiments; and a remark made by an individual in presence of somecitizens: "Gentlemen, this will be a three years war, " was met withsuch repUes as, " WJiy, man, you are ci-asy," or, " my God, this meansnothing, it will be all over in a month."

The feelings of those favorable to the war, became speedily embittered

towards sucn as intimated the least doubt as to the success of the


militia, and on the 12th General Eeynolds was relieved from

the command of the Eeserve Corjjs, and ordered to proceed

to Harrisburg, at the request of the Governor, to organize

and command these forces. He received the men, who were

pouring in incessant streams to the Cajjital, organized them

into brigades, and marched them up the Cumberland valley to

protect the borders of the State. After the battle of Antie-

tam the militia was disbanded, and General Eeynolds re-

joined the Army of the Potomac, and assumed command of

the first corps ; he rendered distinguished service at the

battle of Fredericksburg, and carried the enemy's works on

the left. He was appointed military governor of that city,

and his administration of affairs was so vigorous and equit-

able, that the loyal citizens rejoiced in the establishment of

the authority of the United States in their midst. His troops

were present, but were not called into action at the battle of

Chancellorsville. When General Meade moved the army

struggle. The great majority of the people appeared, and were in re-

ality, in favor of the prosecution of the contest for the restoration of the

Union. Xo intimation that the abolition of slavery was an object,

was made by any of the war partisans; and when one opposed to the

war would claim that it was prosecuted for the purjjose of freeing the

negroes, this wa? ever indignantly denied. Tlie fact need not be con-

cealed, that a considerable number of the people felt averse to the prose-

cution of such a war, as they regarded all difficulties between the two

sections as capable of being settled without a collision of arms. But

the larger number of those who entertained such opinions were careful

to conceal them, as it was perceived that in the midst of the excitement

their persons and business were in jeopardy by the expression of opinions

then very unpoxiular. The iêople were speedily divided into those favor-

able to and those opposed to tlie war. The shrewd and designing of

the latter division, simply allowed their opinions to be known by those

who agreed with tliem. They, as a consequence, were popular with

both parties, for they could easily vary theii- sentiments to suit the com-

pany in whicli they might happen to be. But there are always those

who are bold enough to express their real opinions, whether they be

popular or the contrary. Upon this small band the popular venom poured

itself. AU who as a consequence expressed any sentiment that did not

accord with the popular opinion, were denounced as traitors, and de-

serving of being executed. They were required to meet frowning looks in

all their meanderings,Jand hear offensive and insulting remarks at many a

corner as they jjassed the streets. Oft would the man of honest opinions

cross the street sooner than encounter one whose hatred of him and his

opinions he felt was intense. Men that had been bosom friends for


from Frederick into Pennsylvania, expecting each hour to

encounter the rebel force, he selected General Eeynolds, his

bosom friend, and the man of all others in whom he reposed

the most implicit confidence, to lead the advance wing, com-

posed of three corps, the First, Third, and Eleventh. Morn-

ing and evening, frequently during the day, and in the still

hours of niglit, these two distinguished soldiers, Pennsylva-

nia's noblest contributions to the army, could be seen in

close consultation and earnest discussion. The commanding

general communicated fully all his plans and intended move-

ments to his companion, and heard with deep interest the

comments of the great soldier. Reynolds, in turn, with the

whole ardor of his noble nature, entered into the work

assigned him ; he led forth his troops, marching at the head

of the great army as a patriot going out to battle for the

honor of his country and the liberty of his race.

When, on the morning of the Isi of -July, he rose to the

summit of the hills in front of Gettysburg, he saw at a glance,

years before the Trar, would pass aud reijass without eschangiug recog-

nitions, because of diversity of jioUtical sentiment. Relations, and even

members ofthe same family, quarreled over the question ofthe war. After

an election, the vulgar of the.^viuning party were always loud in their

taunts and insults of their discoiniited partisans. A member of the

defeated party, on a morning after the election, was sui'e to hear plenty

of such remarks as : "the copperheads hang theu' heads this morning."

This condition of feeling continued during the whole war, and had the

mob in some cases been permitted to have taken their way, the houses

of citizens who did not favor the war would have been burned over their

heads. But there were always men of iuJiuence in the war party whoprevented acts of this kind from being perpetrated.

They knew the obnoxious individuals, and felt convinced that their senti-

ments were as honest and equally patriotic as their own. They simply

differed as to the manner of settling the national difficulties. At a time

dm-ing the rebellion when a couple of regiments were encamped near

Lancaster, loud threats were made against ex-President Buchanan, and

had not a few leading citizens interposed, his residence might have fallen

a victim to the rage of a heated soldiery, and himself subjected to such

indignities as have disgraced the annals of history. This long period of

war was sufficient to unfold to au observer almost a comiolete i^hilosophy of

democratic society. Before the breaking out of the war, Democratic

leaders hastDy penned resolves for conventions, denouncing all coei'cion

of the Southern States. They stood upon the Kentucky and Virginia

resolutions, and no coercion should be sanctioned. But no sooner wasthe call for soldiers issued, than these same leaders were mustering in


as his practiced eye viewed the country around him, that

there, on the rocky hills, must be fought the great battle,

which was to decide whether the honor of the Northern peo-

ple should be preserved inviolate, or whether their cities,

and country, and villages should be sacked and destroyed

by the invading foe.

Arriving nearer the town, at eleven o'clock in the fore-

noon, he found General Buford's cavalry division already

skirmishing with the Confederate troops, who appeared two

miles to the westward. Eeynolds, with his accustomed

boldness to attack, did not hesitate as to his duty, or wait

for instructions ; he was an accomplished soldier, and know-

ing that it was Meade's determination to fight the enemy on

the first advantageous ground in his front, immediately ad-

vanced to the support of Buford's cavalry, and engaged the

enemy. The First corps pushed forward through the town

to occupy a hill on the west side, near Pennsylvania college,

where it encountered Heath's division of Hill's corps of Con-

meu for the conquest of the South. Unfortunate is that country that can

have no better class of leaders. Again the oaths went up, loud and long,

upon the part of many of the mob, that they would not go to the war " to

jigMfor negroes." The next news, however, that came was, that these

same swaggering oatbsmen were driUiug and enlisted for the struggle.

All this is simply evidence of the value of the asseverations of that class

of peojile. Again, it was but a common occurrence to meet one high in

standing and authority denouncing the abolition crusade to his friends,

and the same day addressing a company of departing soldiers for the

war, and urging upon them to press forward in the holy work in which

they were engaged. Fame should, as it ever does, consign the names of

all such, to the lowest depths of infamy, despite the miserable honor

that they may conceive attaches to their palty posts or official positions.

The stern vindicator of right implanted in the breasts of true humanity,

measures out deserved honor, regardless of the mob's disapprobation or

approval, and the tribute so awarded is genuine and enduring.

Time, however, moved onward, and the war closed. Instead of being

of three years' duration, it lasted over four years. Entire alienation

between individuals and friends continued up to that period and for

some time afterwards. But owing to the pressing business of society

(the war being no longer the engrossing subject of conversation,) the

old remembrances gradually became effaced, old friendships were re-

newed, and the hatred that had been felt by one towards the other,

vanished and passed away, it is hoped, forever. The war is now over

for some years, and all the hatreds engendered in the commotions, are

forgotten. May such a time never again overtake the American republic.


federate troops. The battle opened with artillery, in which

the enemy at first had the advantage. Eeynoldg rode for-

ward to change the position of the batteries ; the rebel in-

fantry immediately advanced, pushing forward a heavy

skirmish line, and charged upon the guns, expecting to

capture them. General Eeynolds ordered up Wadsworth'sdivision to resist the charge, and rode at the head of

the column to direct and encourage the troops ; but his

gallantry made him a conspicuous mark for the deadly bul-

lets of rebel skirmishers, and he was shot through the neck^

and fell mortally wounded, dying before he could be removedfrom the field. The loss of their brave leader, personally

the most popular officer of his rank in the army, might well

have seriously affected the behavior of the men, but the

spirit with which his presence had inspired them did not

jaerish at his death ; his corps, led by the senior officer. Gen-

eral Doubleday, repulsed, the enemy in a gallant charge,

while the fighting for a time became a hand-to-hand strug-

gle, during which the rebel General Archer and his whole

brigade were captured and sent to the rear.

General Eeynolds was charged by some military critics

with rashness in prematurely bringing on the battle of

Gettysburg; but it would, perhaps, be more just to say,

that he had but little direct agency in bringing it on ; that

it was unavoidable ; that it was forced upon us by the

rebels ; that if they had not been held in check that day,

they would have pressed on and obtained the impregnable

position which our troops were enabled to ho Id ; and that,

most of all, the hand of Providence, who gave us at last a

signal victory, guided the arrangements of that memorable

day.

General Eeynolds was one of America's greatest soldiers;

the men he commanded loved him dearly;he shared with

them the hardships, toil, and danger of the camp, the march,

and the field ; devoted to his profession, he was guided bythose great principles which alone can prepare a soldier to

become the defender of the liberties of a free people. Henobly laid down his life a sacrifice on his country's altar, at

the head of his brave corps, that victory might crown the

34


efforts of those who followed him to fight the great battle

of the Nation. He fell, valiantly fighting for his country.

Still more, he died in the defence of the homes of his neigh-

bors and kinsmen. No treason-bleeding soil drank his blood,

but all of him that was mortal is buried in the bosom of his

own native State. His body was carried to Lancaster andIjuried in the family enclosure in the Lancaster cemetery,

on theith of July, 1863.

Over his remains the family have erected a handsome and

substantial marble monument, commemorative of the patri-

otic services of the deceased. On the south side, surmounted

by the military emblem of the sword and belt, is the inscrip-

tion—" John Fulton Eeynolds, Colonel of the Fifth Infantry

-United States Army, and Major General of Volunteers.

Born September 21st, 1820. Killed at the Battle of Gettys-

burg, while commanding the Left Wing of the Army of the

Potomac, July 1st, 1S63." On raised panels immediately

below, are the words "Chancellorsville,"" Gettysburg." Onthe north, under the national coat-ofarms, are the words" Eogue Eiver" and " Mechanicsville." On the west, the

American flags, crossed over "Gaines' Mills," "Second Bull

Eun" and '' Fredericksburg." And on the east, the military

emblem of the cannon, with the Mexican battle-fields on

which the deceased won promotion, " Fort Brown," Monte-

rey," and " Buena Vista."

EEYNOLDS, Samuel H., was born at Brier creek, in

Columbia county. Pa., November 20th, 1831. In the spring

of 1832 his father, Thos. Eeynolds, left his farm and removed

to Danville, to engage in the mercantile business with his older

sons. The subject of our notice being too young to enter the

store, was sent to school, and soon afterwards admitted to the

Danville academy. At the age of fourteen he entered the

Fi'eshman class at Dickinson college, Carlisle, Pa., where he

graduated in 1850 with honor. In the fall of 1850 he went to

Bellefonte, and took up his residence with his brother, W. F.

Eeynolds, a wealthy bachelor, to whose generosity and wise

counsel he owes much of his success in life. Here he began

the study of law under the instruction of Hon. James T.

Hale, and was admitted to the bar in 1853. In 1854 he


made a tour of inspection tbrougli the West, in order to

look out a suitable location for the practice of his profession.

A short residence in St. Louis convinced him that his native

State atibrded as fair an opportunity fgr a lawyer as the far-

famed El Dorado of the West, and he returned to Bellefonte

to decide upon some new departure. A friend suggested to

him that Lancaster city, although crowded with legal ability,

was a place where he might succeed. Accordingly, he pre-

pared himself with letters of introduction to leading men,

and set out for his new home. • He reached Lancaster an

entire stranger, (he knew no one in the city or county,) and

reconnoitered the situation, and but for^the friendly advice

and sincere words of encouragement which he received from

the late Hon. Thaddeus Stevens and Col. Reah Frazer, it is

doubtful if he would have remained. His choice, however,

was fixed; and accordingly, on'the first of September, 1855,

on motion of Reah Frazer, he was admitted to the bar at

Lancaster, and at once commenced the practice. During the

winter of 1855-56 he lost no time in making acquaintances

in the city and county. His sparkling oratorical powers,

together with his amiable manners, shrewd sagacity and

business tact, soon attracted clients around him, the numbers

of which have, year by year, rolled in upon him in an aug-

menting column.

In 1856 the great political battle between Buchanan and

Fremont was fought. Mr. Reynolds being an enthusiastic

Democrat, rallied to his party standard, and being an elo-

quent speaker, was called upon to address meetings all over

Lancaster county, and also in other sections of the State.

The acquaintance thus made, and the brilliancy exhibited

by him in the campaign, proved of immense value to him in

his subsequent career. Although his party in the county

was in a vast minority, its members became strongly inter-

ested in his success, and ever afterwards remained ardently

attached to him. In 1857 he was elected city solicitor, a

position he held with credit to himself for several years. In

1858 he married a daughter of Wm. B. Fordney, esq., one

of the leading lawyers of Lancaster. In 1866 he was the

Democratic nominee for Congress from the Lancaster district.


In May, 1872, lie was nominated at Eeading by the Demo-cratic State Convention as a delegate at large to the Consti-

tutional Convention. He has served some nine years as a

member of the Lancaster school board.

So admirably has he succeeded in his professional career,

that he now ranks amongst those who transact the largest

and heaviest legal business before the Lancaster bar, if, in-

deed, he be not the present crowning summit of success.

There are but few instances of such a rapid rise in the pro-

fession as is exhibited in his career. As a lawyer engaged

in a trial, Mr. Eeynolds is quick, ready and strategical, and

brings a dexterity to bear upon the management of his cases

that often baffles his legal adversary. He has already grap-

pled with the ablest attornies of Pennsylvania. But it is in

his efforts before the jury where his abilities shine most

conspicuous. Here, it is useless to prevaricate, he caps the

climax. In his speeches he has command of language

elegant and ornate, his unstudied sentences often presenting

the roundness and beauty of the most finished composition.

As a political speaker, he towers high above any other manin Lancaster county, and but few surpass him elsewhere.

With the people he is remarkably popular, and but for his

politics, his voice would be heard upon the floor of the

national Congress.

EICHARDS, Luther, was born December 17th, 1809, in

the borough of York, Pennsylvania. He removed, when a

young man, to Lancaster, learned the printing business, and

in 183-i, in partnership with 'Geo. "W. Hamersly, began the

publication of the Exainmer and Herald. This they pub-

lished up till 1839, when they sold the same to R. W. Mid-

dleton. In 1851 he was elected register of wills of Lan-

caster county. Much of his time since he has been deputy

register, which position he now fills.

EIGHTER, Washington, of Columbia, was born in

West Chester, December 9th, 1799. He was for about three

years a student of the West Chester Academy, the first

institution of the kind ever started in that borough. Heremoved to Lancaster county in 1830. He had learned the

tanning business in West Chester, and afterwards entered

OF LAN-CASTER COUNTY. 493

into partnersliij) witli liis master for about four years. After

coming to Columbia, he first started a currying shop, and

afterwards, in 1834, engaged in the lumber business,

which he has steadily pursued ujd to this time. He was

elected clerk of the arphans' court of Lancaster county in

the fall of 1842, and held the same for three years. He was

never an aspiring politician, and the ofBce he obtained was

tendered him without solicitation. In business, Mr. Righter

has been quite successful.

EINGWALD FAMILY. j;acob Ringwald, the founder

of the family of this name in Pennsylvania, emigrated from

Wirtemberg, where the family is still numerous, shortly

before the year 1750. In an old family record, the origin

of the name is ascribed to the incident of a remote ancestor

being lost in a forest, from which he was rescued by persons

attracted by his stentorian shouts. He made the " woods

ring," and Ring-wald was applied to him as a cognomen.

Jacob Eingwald, soon after his arrival in this country, was

apprenticed to a blacksmith, at or near the present site of

Bareville, Lancaster county, about four miles west of the

town of New Holland, and in the immediate vicinity of the

first settlement made in Earl township, by Hans Graff. Atthis period the district was already peopled by Mentzers,

Kinzers, Rolands, Dillers, Seegers, Luthers, Sprechers,

Weidlers and Bitzers families, which have since become

numerous.

After the completion of his apprenticeship, Jacob Eing-

wald established himself as a blacksmith, in the same

vicinity, and married Barbara Wagner, who, in the homely

and industrious fashion of the time, assisted her husband in

laying the foundation of his future fortune, by working the

bellows while he fashioned the iron on the anvil. The sturdy

blacksmith soon became well known in the community, re-

ceiving due honor for the zealous industry and piety with

which he practiced to the very letter, the maxim often on

his lips, the same couplet being a favorite saying among the

Italians,

Work as if you T^-o^^ld live forever.

Pray as if you would die to-morrow.


By perseverance and prudence, Jacob Eingwald steadily-

increased in wealth, and in a few years surpassed his neigh-

bors, by becoming the purchaser of a farm near the eastern

end of New Holland, which is well known for its fertility,

and for a remarkably large and fine spring of water. Hesubsequently purchased another near Churchtown, both

properties being selected with the wisdom of an accomplish-

ed judge of land, and with especial reference to their well-

watered meadows—this being a point of great importance

in the last century. Once during the Revolutionary war, a

party of Virginia troops WBre encamped upon the NewHolland farm, where Jacob Eingwald continued to reside,

and it is remembered, as an evidence of their imperfect

equipment, that they were armed chiefly with spontoons, a

home-made weapon resembling the Scottish halberd.

Of three children born unto Jacob Eingwald and his wife

Barbara, the eldest, George, died in infancy ; the second,

Martin, born in 1763, lived to be the parent of eleven chil-

dren ; while the third, Jacob, born in 1765, was the father of

fourteen sons and four daughters, these two brothers being

the ancestors of the entire Eingwald family of Lancaster

county. Jacob Eingwald, the elder, the founder of the

family, died about the close of the last century, his wife

surviving him until the year 1805.

His eldest and surviving son, Martin, inherited and resided

upon the Churchtown farm, near Churchtown ; and the

youngest, Jacob, inherited the property at New Holland,

upon which he lived until 1825. At an early age he married

Catharine Diller, a member of the numerous family of that

name in Earl township. Living in an exclusively Germanneighborhood, and connected closely with them by bonds of

blood and custom, Jacob Eingwald became imbued with the

American spirit of progress. He battled strongly with the

conservatism of his neighbors, and vigorously combated

the popular disposition to perpetuate the exclusive use of

the German language. A Lutheran church had been erected

in New Holland, at leasfas early as the year 17-48. As was

general with this denomination, a parish school was attached,

which was substantially free ; for while all parents who were


able to do so, paid for the tuition of their children, all were

entitled to entrance, and the deficiency in funds was supplied

hj the congregation. For" a long period the German lan-

guage was exclusively used in this school, but Jacob Ring-

wald was an active advocate of the introduction of the

English tongue, which innovation was accomplished in 1807.

Under the impulse of the same feeling which prompted him

to this action, he anglicized the family name to Eingwalt.

Conscious of the defects in his own early education, Jacob

Eingwalt turned his attention most intelligently and inde-

fatigably to supplying such deficiencies, and his children

still remember the habit of rising at a very early hour to

secure leisure and quiet for reading and study before com-

mencing the laborious avocations of the day. The Edin-

burg Encyclopedia, whose ponderous volumes were the grand

storehouse of the learning of that time, was one of his favo-

rite books, and in 'the scarcity of literature, was a complete

library in itself. Many members of the Lutheran church at

this period, were bitterly opposed to the threatened intrusion

of the English tongue into the regular church services, and

Jacob Ringwalt's earnest efibrts to secure the advantage of

English preaching once a month, excited such antagonism,

that he finally and in consequence relinquished his member-

ship in the Lutheran church and joined the Episcopalians.

The Eev. Joseph Clarkson, as minister of the Episcopalian

church, became a favorite friend and frequent guest at his

house, and after him Jacob Eingwalt named his eighth son,

Joseph Clarkson Eingwalt, who has been for many years a

resident of Cincinnati, Ohio ; a successful merchant and an

exemplary citizen. Interested in all puolic movements,

Jacob Eingwalt held the position of colonel of a regiment

of militia, this form of military training being formerly very

popular in Lancaster county. In 1811 he was elected to the

State legislature, but this public service was not congenial

to his tastes, and after serving one term he again devoted

close attention to the varied avocations of agriculture for

which he had a strong inclination, and in which his energy

and intelligence won remarkable success. Nothwithstanding

the burden of a family, eighteen of his children reaching


maturity, he rapidly acquired wealth. His children were

sent to schools at Harrisburg and elsewhere, to acquire a

more general education than was possible at home, while

their father vigorously prosecuted an extensive business.

His well-tilled lands and handsome buildings grew into such

value, that he was offered for them what was considered a

very large sum in those days ; but shortly after, he became

one of the sufferers in the disastrous monetary revulsion of

1817, and his property was sold under most unfavorable cir-

cumstances. He then rented a portion of the former estate

a,nd continued to reside upon it for several years. Jacob

Eingwalt subsequently abandoned this farm in Lancaster

county, (which was then rented for a short time by his son

Samuel), and removed into Cumberland county. In this newhome, when about sixty years of age, he assumed the man-

agement of the immense estate of Judge Duncan, compris-

ing sixteen farms of several hundred ac%s each he himself

residing upon and reserving the product of the splendid

property known as the "Judge Watts farm," long famous

for having the largest barn in the United States. Jacob

Eingwalt continued in these successful agricultural employ-

ments until |ie was accidentally injured in the prosecution of

his labors ; his health subsequently failed, and he died De-

cember 24th, 182S, in the sixty-third year of his age.

Catharine Diller, his wife, survived him, dying in 1858,

and being the mother, grandmother and great-grandmother

of one hundred and two descendants. His second, son Samuel,

already mentioned, was at one time deputy sheriff and

brigade inspector of Lancaster county, whence he removed

to Downingtown, Chester county, where he still resides, de-

voting his great energy to agriculture, which is, in that dis-

trict, in a very advanced condition.

The eldest surviving and youngest sons of Jacob Eing-

walt, viz : Samuel and Lewis Eingwalt, were both actively

engaged in the war of the rebellion, the former having

served as Gen. George G. Meade's brigade quartermaster,

and received the highest encomiums from the hero of Gettys-

burg for his gallantry and efficiency. Lewis Eingwalt being

.a member of Sheridan's celebrated cavalry, having been in


forty-two skirmishes and engagements, was killed near

Winchester, consistently ending a brilliant and courageous

career in bravely defending an ambulance of wounded men.

EOATH, EiiL. Dyee, was born October -ith, 1820, in the

city of Lancaster. His father was a mechanic;

(" his great-

grandfather, Philip Brenner, was from Baden, and an early

settler along Chicques creek, now in East Donegal township,

^nd owned a large tract of land.") At the age of four years

his father died ; his mother, after the death of his father,

moved with her family of four sons to the village of May-

town, East Donegal township. After having somewhat

qualified himself, he taught school from 1846 to 1854, was a

member of the first teachers' institute held in Lancaster,

January, 1853, and having settled in Marietta borough in

1857, he was nominated and elected a member of the Legis-

lature. In 1861, when the tocsin of war sounded throughout

the land, his military ardor rose, and applying to Governor

Curtin, he received orders to raise a company for service

;

succeeding in this, he named his company " Union Fenci-

bles," being composed of men from different counties, joined

the 107th regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers. Col, Zeigler;

he marched to the front with 98 men, always engaged in

active service with his regiment, and participated in the

following battles, viz: Cedar Mountain, Kappahannock

Station, Thoroughfare Gap, second Bull Run, Chantilly,

(took command of regiment;) South Mountain,' (second in

command ;) Antietam, (second in command,) slightly wound-

ed; Fredericksburg, (brigade charged rebels out of their

works;) below Fredericksburg, two days under fire; Chan-

cellorsville. May 3d and 4th, 1863, (left in Wilderness on

skirmish line, with five companies surrounded with rebels,

'While scaling the mouutaiu, General Duryea rode up and remarked,

^'Captain Roatli, will you let those vagabonds enter your State, dese-

crate your firesides, and enslave you?" The reply was, "No, never;

we would I'ather die freemen ; three cheers for Pennsylvania, '

' which wasgiven with a will. The General theu asked: "WiU the colors of the

Keystone go to the top ?'' Being answered in the affirmative, he ijro-

posed three cheers for the same, which made the mountain echo amidstthe discharge of musketry ; the Fifth Reserves, Col. Fisher, and others,

took up the cheering. The day ended with a glorious victory, and ahappy meeting on the mountain top.


but eluded their grasp;) Gettysburg, July 1st, 2d and 3d,

took part in first day's fight under the lamented Eeynolds;

and in the famous charges on the left, second day (took

command,) and third day, in centre; Cemetery Hill, detailed

to support battery, (wounded first day;) the crossing at

Eappahannock, August 1st, 1863, commanded right wing;

Mine Bun, commanded advance guard, &;c., three days;

Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna, Bethsaida, "re-

inforced skirmish line on Eichmond road, and took com-

mand, charged and retook a strong position of the enemy,

and compelled them to withdraw the battery that made such

terrible havoc by enfilading our lines ;" Tolopatomy, Shady

Grove Church, White Oak Swamp, had charge of the skir-

mish line, nine companies, repulsed the enemy on their ad-

vance without support, complimented from commanding-

General ; Norfolk and Petersburg Eailroad, June 17 and 18,

186-4, took railroad and drove enemy into fort, afterwards

blown up; Weldon Eoad, August 18 and 19, 1864, on the

the 19th, after having sharp fighting on the advance, was

taken prisoner, and after remaining in the prison pens of

Eichmond, Salisbury and Danville, over six months, was

exchanged and sent to Annapolis; honorably discharged bythe "War Department, March 5, 1865; after expiration of ser-

vice, was breveted Major, Lieutenant-colonel and Colonel,

for meritorious service. Eeturning to his home in Marietta

borough, he was again elected a justice of the pieace; in

1S66, was again nominated and elected a member of the

Legislature.

ROBEETS, Anthony E., was born in Chester county.

Pa., October 29th, 1803. On his father's side he is of Welshdescent, and on that of his mother, German. His early

opportunities for the acquisition of learning being limited,

his attainments in this particular were confined to the com-

mon branches of an education, but such as he was enabled

to possess himself of, he has known admirably how to apply

to practical life. He began his career in life by becoming a

clerk in a store in New Holland, which position he filled for

several years. In this situation he may be said to have laid

the foundation of his success, as therein he made the favorable

OF LANCASTER COUKTY. 499

acquaintance of a large number of the people of the county

of Lancaster, and his pleasant and engaging manners made

him hosts of friends of both parties. While serving as clerk,

he was frequently the representative of his party in the

county conventions, and thus he came to form the acquaint-

ance of the leading men of his party, and, indeed, of the

whole county.

In 1839 he was nominated and elected high sheriff of

Lancaster county, it being his first effort for the position.

He discharged the duties of the oiSce with success, and byhis amiable manners still continued to add recruits to his

hosts of friends all over Lancaster county. He early became

one of the active Anti-Masons of the county; and even when

the party was on the wane, his standing with its staunch

leaders was always excellent, as he was believed ever to

have been true to the principles of the organization. In

1843 he was, therefore, nominated by the Anti-Masons as

their candidate for Congress in opposition to Jeremiah Brown,

but his party being on the decline, he suffered a defeat. Hehad entered into the mercantile business in New Holland,

in partnership with Elijah McLenegan, and this business he

still prosecuted by his subordinates when official business re-

quired him to dwell in Lancaster. In 1849 he was appointed

by General Taylor marshal of the eastern district of Penn-

sylvania, which of&ce he filled up to the coming in of the

Pierce administration in 1853. It was during the time that

Mr. Eoberts was marshal, that the exciting trials occasioned

by the Christiana riot came off in Philadelphia, and upon

these occasions he showed himself an eflicient oflicer in the

discharge of his duties. In 1854 Mr. Roberts was nominated

by the American party as a candidate for Congress, and was

elected; and after serving two years was again elected for a

second term. During his first congressional term, he served

as a member of the building committee. Mr. Roberts has

been a member of the Lancaster school board, and has filled

many other honorable positions in the gift of the people.

The success of IMr. Roberts in life, may be attributed to

his remarkably genial and friendly disposition, as few sur-

pass him in this particular. He is, besides, one of the most


industrious, diligent, and energetic workers in any enter-

prise in which he may engage, that is to be found, perhaps,

in Pennsylvania. His handsome improvements in Prince

street, near his residence, amongst which " Eoberts' Hall"

may be mentioned, will long perpetuate his name in Lancas-

ter city and county, and his public as well as private record

will, for years to come, be evidence of the manner in which

politeness with industry can, in free America, rear one from

indigence and obscurity, rank him amongst the fortunate

as regards possession, and enrol his name high upon the

temple of fame.

EOBEETS, JoHX, a member of the Legislature in the

years 1801, 1S02, 1803, 1804 and 1805.

EOBIKSON, John, elected State Senator in 1831.

EOGEES, MoLTON C, for many years a prominent

member of the Lancaster bar. He was a native of Delaware,

and son of Gov. Daniel Eogers, of the same State. Hegraduated at Princeton College, New Jersey, and afterwards

studied law at Litchfield, Connecticut. He removed to Lan-

caster, and was admitted to the bar in the year 1811. Hesoon took rank amongst the leading members of the pro-

fession, and that at a time when the bar was distinguished bymen of first class ability. He was married to a daughter of

Cyrus Jacobs, an iron-master of Lancaster county. In 1819

he was elected State Senator over Emanuel Eeigart; receiv-

ing 209-± votes to 2088 for his competitor. Upon the elec-

tion of J. Andrew Shultz, as Governor of Pennsylvania, Mr.

Eogers was selected as Secretary of the Commonwealth,

and on the 15th of April, 182(3, he was commissioned by

the Governor one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of

Pennsylvania, a position he held up to 1851. Judge Eogers

possessed intellectual powers of a high order, and therewith

united great personal amiability as also general scientific

and literary culture. As a jurist he was fearless and incor-

ruptible, dignified in his demeanor, and his sense of right

was acute in the highest degree. He was ardently devoted

to the great principles of the Democratic party; but, upon

the breaking out of the rebellion, he lent the weight of his

influence in favor of the war for the restoration of the


Union. He died in Philadelphia, September 27, 1863, in the

78th year of his age.

EOHREE (JOHN'S) FAMILY. John Eohrer was born in

Alsace, Germany, (lately a part of France), in the year 1696.

When about the age of fourteen, the scourge of religious per-

secution drove his father and his family from his native land

;

and John being sent back to obtain and bring the family goods,

was captured and lost sight of his parents entirely. Hefound his way to England, where he studied veterinary sur-

gery, 'and afterwards sailed for America and settled in Lan-

caster county. After some years residence in his new home,

and having acquired some real estate, he in 1732 married

Maria Souder. All this time he had lost sight of his

parents. Being in Philadelphia, and hearing of the landing

of a vessel he started for the landing, and one of the first of

the passengers whom he met, turned out to be his father.

John immediately recognized his parent, but the latter did

not know his son. His mother had died and his father was

married again, and had two or three sons by his second wife.

They were destitute of means and expected to be sold for

their passage money. He paid the demands, brought his

father and his family with him, and aided his half brothers to

property near Hagerstown, Maryland. John Eohrer had

four sons, viz : Martin, Daniel, John, and Christian ; and

four daughters, viz : one married to a Houser, one to a

Smith, one to a Bachman, and another to Peter Miller. His

third son, John, was a member of the Legislature in the

years 1818, 1819-20.

EOHEEE, Jacob, elected County Commissioner in 1815.

EOHRER, John, elected Clerk of the Orphans' Court in

1839.

EOLAND, Henry, elected County Commissioner in 1821.

EOLAND, John H., elected a member of the Legislature

in 1856.

EOSS, Geo., Jr., son of George Eoss, sr., was a staunch

patriot in the Revolution, and for sometime Vice President

of the Supreme Executive Council. In 1791 he was com-

missioned by the Governor, register of wills and recorder


of deeds, wliicli offices lie held for eighteen years. He was

known amongst the citizens as "cfer Waisenvater."

*EOSS, George, was born in New Castle, Delaware, in

the year 1830. His father, the Rev. George Ross, of the

Episcopal church, was a man of considerable ability and of

rare classical attainments, and early perceiving that his son

gave evidence of aptitude for st^dy, he determined upon

furnishing him an education that would fit him for any posi-

tion in society. He was accordingl}"- placed under instruc-

tors, and was not long in laying the foundation of a fine edu-

cation, especially in his acquisition of the languages, in which

he particularly excelled. By the age of eighteen he had

made such advance in learning, that he was deemed amply

qualified to enter upon the study of law, and he prosecuted

it under the intructious of his elder brother, John, a lawyer

of good standing in the city of Philadelphia ; and as soon as

he had finished the regular course of reading then prescribed

for students, he was admitted to the bar. Finding that the

ranks of the profession were at that time filled in the city of

Philadelphia, he determined to try his fortune in some inte-

rior portion of the country, and for that purpose chose Lan-

caster, at that time near the limits of civilization. He settled

in Lancaster about the year 1751. It was not long after his

becoming a citizen of this latter j^lace, that he married Miss

Ann Lawlor, a lady of a most respectable family ; and de-

voting himself zealously to the pursuits of his profession, he

soon obtained a lucrative and increasing practice. Not long

after this settlement at Lancaster, he was made prosecutor

for the King, and discharged the duties of this office with

eminent success.

Actively engaged in the pursuits of his profession, he does

not seem for some time to have taken much part in political

affairs, and the first notice we find of him in this connection,

is his election as a representative to the assembly of Penn-

sylvania, in which he took his seat in the year 1768. Of

this body he continued to be reelected a member until the

year 177i. During all the time he remained a member of

*Sanderson's Biograijliy of tlie Signers of tlie Declaration of Inde-

pendence, i)p. 533 and 538.

OF LAXCASTEE COUXI'Y. 503

the assembly, he merited and obtained the utmost con-

fidence both of his colleagues and of his constituents.

Whilst a member of the assembly, Mr. Eoss seems to have

given particular attention to the condition of our intercourse

with the various Indian tribes settled within the State, or

-ivandering near its borders. But it was not long till Mr.

Eoss was destined to act as the organ of the assembly in

more important afl'airs than in quarrels about the mainte-

nance of a petty garrison, or the aggression of a few hostile

Indians. He had for a long time seen with that deep indig-

nation that arises in the breast of a freeman, the arbitrary

proceedings of the British government, and felt convinced

that a general cooperation among the several provinces was

necessary to secure their liberty. The resolutions of Vir-

ginia and of the other States, proposing the convention of a

general congress of all the American colonies, was music to

his ears. They were not, however, received in the assem-

bly of Pennsylvania until it was on the eve of dissolution, as

it was the opinion of the majority that whatever measures

might be adopted, should proceed from a future assembly

who would meet fresh from their constituents and rSpreseut-

ing their -sentiments. Mr. Eoss, nevertheless, was appointed

on a committee to draft a reply to the speaker of the

house of delegates of Virginia, and in so doing took occa-

sion to express the cordial feelings he entertained. " Theassembly of Pennsylvania," he says, " assure your honora-

ble House that they esteem it a matter of the greatest im-

portance to cooperate with the representatives of the other

colonies in every wise and prudent measure which may be

proposed for the preservation and security of their general

rights and liberties ; and it is highly expedient and neces-

sary that a correspondence should be maintained between the

assemblies of the several colonies. But as the present assem-

bly must in a few days be dissolved by virtue of the charter'

of the province, and any measures they might adopt at this

time rendered by the dissolution ineffectual, they have earn-

estly recommended the subject matter of the letter and re-

solves of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, to the consid-

eration of the succeeding assembly."


In the month of July following, it was unanimously

resolved to appoint a committee of seven members, on the

part of the province, to meet the delegates of the other

colonies at such time and place as might be generally agreed

upon ; and Mr. Eoss was elected one of the members of this

committee. He was also, by a singular coincidence, at the

same time appointed to draw up the instructions under which

they and himself, as one of them, were to act ; these, how-

ever, are very properly simple and general in their terms, leav-

ing them in a very great degree to be adopted, such as future

circumstances might require. Under these instructions Mr.

Eoss took his seat in Congress on the 5th of September,

1774, and remained a member of that body until January,

1777, when he obtained leave of absence on account of indis-

position and retired. His conduct met with the warm thanks

and approbation of his constituents, and of this honorable

evidence has been preserved in a resolution passed by a

public meeting, held in the borough of Lancaster, which is

as follows:

Mesolved, That the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds, out of the

county stock, be forthwith transmitted to George Ross, one of the

members of assembly for thi.-? county, and one of the delegates for this

colony in the Continental Congress, and that he be requested to accept

the same as a testimony from this county of their sense of his attend-

ance on the public business, to his great pi'ivate loss and of their appro-

bation of his conduct.

Resolved, If it be more agreeable, Mr. Ross purchase with part of the

said money, a genteel piece of plate, ornamented as he thinks proper,

to remain with him as a testimony of the esteem this county has for

him, by reason of his patriotic conduct in the great sti'uggle for Ameri-

can liberty.

Mr. Eoss, however, declined accepting this liberal and

honorable present, stating to the committee in so doing that

his services were overrated by his fellow-citizens ; that in

bestowing them he had been impelled solely by his sense of

duty, and that every man should contribute all his energy

to promote at such a period the public welfare without

expecting pecuniary reward. The occupations of Congress

did not, however, prevent Mr. Eoss from continuing his

duties as a member of the Provincial Legislature, where we

find his name recorded among the zealous political leaders


of the time. Early in the year 1775 Mr. Penn, the gover-

nor and proprietary of the province, sent a message to the

assembly, referring to the peculiar sitaation of the colony,

and though couched in mild and conciliatory language, evi-

dently meant to repress, if possible, the mode of proceed-

ing which had been pursued by the union and cooperation

of all the colonies. It was the universal custom at this

period, for the assembly to reply at once to the messages of

the governor, and on the present occasion it, of coiirse,

obliged the members of the House to express their opinions,

and to decide at once whether the plan hitherto pursued

should be retracted, or whether they should firmly stand byCongress and support its measures. The talents of the

political leaders of the day were called out, and they exerted

themselves in several long debates in favor of their several

opinions. Mr. Eoss was an able speaker, and he urged the

continuance of decisive measures, with all the weight of his

talents, character and iafluence ; and he and his friends so

far succeeded as to obtain the appointment of a committee

coinciding in their views, and of which he was a member.

This committee presented as their report an answer to the

governor's address, in the following terms :" We are sin-

cerely obliged to your honor for your attention to the true

interests of the people over whom you preside, at a time

when the disputes between Great Britain and the American

colonies are drawing towards an alarming crisis; and weagree with you that in all cases wisdom dictates the use of

such means as are most likely to obtain the end proposed.

We have with deep concern beheld the system of colony

administration, pursued since the year 1763, destructive to

the rights and liberties of his Majesty's most faithful sub-

jects in America, and have heretofore adopted such measures -âs we thought were most likely to restore the affection and ^^

harmony between the parent State and the colonies, which it

is the true interest of both countries to cultivate and main-

tain, and which we most sincerely wish to see restored. Wemust inform your honor, that a most humble, dutiful and

afl'ectionate petition from the delegates of all the colonies,

from Nova Scotia to Georgia, is now at the foot of the

35


throne, and we trust in the paternal affection and justice of

our most gracious sovereign, that he will interpose for the

relief of his greatly distressed and ever faithful subjects in

America. We assure your honor, that the House will always

pursue such measures as shall appear to them necessary for

securing the liberties of America, and establishing peace,

oonfidence and harmony between Great Britain and her

colonies." On the presentation of the report another violent

debate arose, which lasted for ten days, when it was carried

by a majority of twenty-two to fifteen voices.

In the summer of 1775 the Legislature found that mea-

sures more vigorous than resolutions were necessary, and

•they determined at any rate to make preparation to meet

the consequences of their previous measures, whatever they

might be. To this end they appointed Mr. Boss and several

of the leading members of the Assembly, a committee to con-

sider of and report such measures as might be expedient to

put the city and province in a state of defense. This com-

juittee after deliberating a few days, brought in a series of

resolutions approving of the association of the people for the

•defense of their lives, liberty and property, providing for the

pay of such of them as should be engaged in repelling any

iiostile invasion of the British troops, and recommending the

several counties of the province to collect stores of ammu-nition and arms. To carry their plans better into effect,

they appointed a general committee of public safety for

calling forth such of the assooiators into actual service when

necessity requires, as the said committee shall judge proper

% for paying and supplying them with necessaries while in

actual service, for providing for the defense of the province

against invasion and insurrection, and for encouraging and

'^ promoting the manufacture of saltpetre, which said com-

mittee were authorized and empowered to draw orders on

the treasurer thereinafter appointed for the several purposes

above-mentioned. Of this committee, which became for some

time, as it were, the executive organ of the government,

Mr. Ross was a leading member, as he was also of another

important committee, that of grievances. Besides these

duties relative to the war, he was appointed with two other


gentlemen, to prepare rules and regulations for the goveru-

meut of the forces of the province which might be raised.

When the proprietary government was dissolved and the

general convention substituted for the previous Legislature,

Mr. Ross took his seat in it also as a representative for Lan-

caster county. He was, within a few days after its organiza-

tion, appointed on a committee to prepare a declaration of

rights on behalf of the State, and chairman of two others of

much importance—that of forming regulations for the gov-

ernment of the convention, and that for preparing an ordi-

nance declaratory of what should be high treason and mis-

prision of treason against the State, and what punishment

should be inflicted for these offences. Indeed, in all legal

matters, Mr. Ross at this period stood deservedly high.

Before the Revolution he was among the first of his profes-

sion ; and in the change which that event had produced in

its component parties, as well as its forensic character, he

still maintained the same rank. These changes were, indeed,

very considerable ; subjects of higher importance than those

which commonly fall to the lot of provincial judicatures were

brought forward;motives sufBcient to rouse all the latent

energies of the mind were constantly presenting.themselves.

The bar was chiefly composed of gentlemen of aspiring

minds and industrious habits ; and Mr. Ross found himself

engaged among men with whom it was honorable to contend

and pleasant to associate. Mr. Wilson, who had practiced

with great reputation at Carlisle; Mr. Biddle, from Reading;

Governor Morris, occasionally and sometimes ; Mr. Reed,

till he was chosen a member of the Chief Executive Council

;

and Mr. Lewis, of Philadelphia, in conjunction with Mr. Ross,

formed an assemblage of powerful and splendid talents which

might have coped with an equal number of any forum in

America. The whole faculties of this bar were soon put in

requisition for the prosecutions which were commencedagainst some of those accused of being adherents of the

British cause. The popular excitement against them was

high, and their defence appeared to many a service of dan-

ger ; but the intrepidity of the bar did not allow them to

shrink from the conflict, and Mr. Ross, and Mr. Wilson,


especially, embarked all their talents, zeal, and professional

reputation in the cause of those who were thus accused.

The last public employment in which Mr. Eoss was en-

gaged, was that of a judge of the court of admiralty for the

State of Pennsylvania, to which he was ap2:)ointed on the

14th of April, 1779 ; and while on the bench he was esteemed

a learned and impartial judge, displaying sound legal know-

ledge and abilities, and great promptness in his decisions. Hedid not, however, long occupy the station he was so well

calculated to fill, as he died suddenly in the month of July

following, from a violent attack of the gout. Of his charac-

ter little remains to be said beyond what has been already

detailed. In his domestic habits he was kind, generous, and

much beloved ;in his professional career, zealous and honor-

able ; as a practitioner, always active and patriotic ; and he

seems to have earned the praise bestowed upon him by one

who knew him, as "an honest man and upright judge."

ROSS, Jasies, son of George Ross, sr., raised in 1755 the

first company in Lancaster, in Col. Thompson's regiment, of

which he was made captain, and marched to Cambridge for

the defence of the liberties of his country. He rose to the

rank of lieutenant-colonel of the eighth Pennsylvania regi-

ment, with which he fought in the memorable battle of the

Brandywine. In the battles of Long Island, Trenton and

Germantown, he bore a conspicuous part. He was appointed

judge in the territory of Louisiana. He died August 2-±th,

180S, in the 55th year of his age.

ROSS, William Bird, was elected County Commissioner

in the year 1817, and in 1821 was appointed Clerk of the

Quarter Sessions.

ROWE, Bexjajiin F., was elected Sheriff of Lancaster

county in the year 1857.

ROYER FAMILY. Sebastian Royer emigrated from

the Palatinate to America about the year 1720, bringing

with him four sons. Two of his sons being young mengrown, decided to settle in Montgomery county, from whomthe families of this name in Montgomery and Chester coun-

ties are descended. Sebastian Royer and his two younger

sons settled in Elizabeth township, Lancaster county. He


was a Lutheran by persuasion, and being a widower, married

again. His wife was a member of the German Eeformed

church, and he donated a couple of tracts of ground, one

for the erection of a German Eeformed church and the other

for a Lutheran church. The churches erected upon these

tracts (the Brickerville churches), stand to this day. His

son John inherited the old homestead property, sold it and

crossed the Susquehanna river, where his descendants are

numerous in Cumberland, Franklin, Huntingdon and adjoin-

ing counties, and also in the State of ilaryland. Samuel

Rover, a member of the reform convention in 1838, and

John Eoyer, a member of the Legislature from Cambria

and Somerset counties, in 184:2,' belonged to this family.

Aiios Eoyer, the youngest son of Sebastian, settled in

Ephrata township, and was the founder of the Eoyers of Lan-

caster and Lebanon counties. He had four sons, viz : Daniel,

Philip, John, and Christopher. Daniel had four sons, viz :

John, Jacob, Joseph and David. John and Jacob settled in

Lebanon counties, and left sons; Joseph emigrated to the

State of Ohio;David remained in Lancaster county on a

part of the old homestead, still possessed by his only heir,

Samuel, now an old man. John, son of Amos Eoyer, re-

mained on part of the old home property (on which is built

the Eoyer meeting-house), and left numerous descendants in

the county. Christopher, his brother, settled in West Earl,

on the farm of Christian Eupp, and leaves numerous de-

scendants in Lebanon county and elsewhere. His brother,

Philip, settled in Manheim township, and had five sons, viz

:

Joseph, Benjamin, Jonathan, Abraham and Philip. Joseph

remained on the old homestead, and had three sons, viz :

John, Joseph, and Daniel. John had five sons, viz : Jonas,

Cyrus, Daniel, John and Henry. Jonas lives in Lebanon

county ; Cyrus, in Providence township ; Daniel, near Na-

pierville, Illinois ; John, in West Earl ; and Henry on the

old home farm. .Joseph, one of the three sons of Joseph, has

three sons, viz : Israel, Tobias, Joseph E., and lives in Lan-

caster city. Daniel, his brother, has three sons, viz : Eeu-

ben, Martin, and Jonathan, in Warwick township. Benja-

min, son of Philip, had two sons, viz : Daniel, and Benjamin.


Daniel had one son, Samuel, living in Ephrata township, andwho has four sons, viz: Phares, Isaac, Abraham and Mil-

ton; and Benjamin has a son in Ephrata township. Jona-

than, son of Philip, settled in Leacock township, near Inter-

course, leaving a son, John, whose family survives him.

Abraham, son of Philip, settled on Mill creek, and leaves

descendants. Philip settled in Cocalico township, and left

sons, whose descendants live near Reamstown. Isaac Royer,

of Ephrata township, and his brother Reuben, are grandsons

of John Royer, of Mill creek, Lebanon county.

RUTTER, Nathaniel, a member of the Legislature in

1818 and 1819.

S.

SAMPLE, Dr. Nathaniel W., oldest son of the Rev.

Nathaniel W. Sample, was born at Strasburg, Lancas-

ter county, Pa. He was instructed by his father in the

classics, as he for many years had been in the habit of in-

structing a few young gentlemen as students in his house.

He studied medicine with Dr. Duf&eld, of Strasburg, and

hegan the practice of the profession in his native town.

After practicing the profession for a few years in Strasburg,

he removed to Paradise, and bought the farm on which he

lived for a long time. Here he lived and practiced his pro-

fession for many years. He held a high rank as a memberof the Free Masonic fraternity. He died at Gordonville,^

aged 80 years.

SAMPLE, Rev. Nathaniel TV., was a native of Yorkcounty, Pa., and a graduate of Princeton college. New Jersey.

He graduated during the Revolution, and studied theology

at Princeton. He first located as a clergyman at Strasburg,

and preached for the Presbyterian congregation of Stras-

burg, Leacock and Octoraro. He married a lady of Chester

county, named Elizabeth Cowau. He was an excellent

classical scholar. He left five sons and three daughters.

He died at the advanced age of between 83 and 84 years,

and lies buried at Leacock.


SANDERSON, Geobge, is a native of Cumberland

county, Pennsylvania. In 1886 he became editor and pro-

prietor of the American Volunteer; the old Democratic organ;

published at Carlisle. He continued to publish the paper

until 1845, when he relinquished it to take charge of the

post-office in that borough, tendered to him by President

Polk. In the meantime he held the ofBce of prothonotary

of Cumberland county for three years and nine months,

from 1839 to 1842—first by appointment, under Governor

Porter, and subsequently elected by the people. In 1849,

upon relinquishing the post-office at Carlisle, he removed t©

Lancaster and became proprietor and editor of the Lancaster

Intelligencer^ the old Democratic organ of Lancaster county.

He continued his connection with this paper until 1864, a

period of fifteen years. In 1859 he was elected Mayor of

the city of Lancaster, and continued to hold the office for ten

years and nine months, having been elected for nine consecu-

tive terms. In October, 1869, he retired to private life.

Always devoted to the principles of the Democratic party,

and adhering to its organization in prosperity and adversity,

he nevertheless secured not only the confidence of his ownpolitical friends, but to a large extent the good will and

respect of his political opponents.

SAUNDERS, Isaac, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1757, 1758, 1759, 1760, 1763 and 1764. '

SCHAEFFEE, Emanuel, was born February 27th, 1793.

Having lost his father when young, his mother and her chil-

dren became a part of the household of his maternal grand-

father, John Miller, an eminent citizen of Lancaster, once

high sheriff of the county, and also a member of the State

Senate-. At the age of fifteen the subject of this notice wasapprenticed by his grandfather to learn the saddling and

harness-making business. After the expiration of his ap-

prenticeship, he worked at his trade in the capacity of a jour-

neyman, and having saved from his earnings about one

hundred dollars, he began business upon his own account in

Lancaster. When about twenty-five years of age he mar--

ried, and his wife dying seven years afterwards, he entered

into marital relations the second time. In 1841 Mr. Schaef-


fer was appointed by Governor Porter one of the associate

judges of the courts of Lancaster county, which office he

held for five years, when he was reappointed by Governor

Shunk, and discharged his duties with great fidelity for four

years more, making his aggregate term of service as associ-

ate judge, nine years. In 1841 he was elected president of

the Lancaster Savings Institution, a position he held for

some years. He served as president of city councils for

thirteen years. Besides these positions, Mr. Schaeffer was

frequently chosen to fill various offices of trust and respon-

sibility, all of which he discharged in such a manner as to

reflect much credit upon himself and render entire satisfac-

tion to the public. Mr. Schaeffer was an active supporter

of the temperance cause, and during the whole of his life

adhered strictly to the principles of sobriety, honesty, and

the projier observance of religious duties, which resulted in

that success and prosperity which he enjoyed. From the

organization of the Church of God, in the city of Lancaster,

he was an elder and annually reelected. He was the super-

intendent of the Sabbath school belonging to that church

for many years, and also a delegate to the east Pennsylva-

nia and general elderships for a number of years. He died

November 13th, 1861, aged 71 years, 8 months, and 16 days.

SCHAUM, Bexjajiix, elected Commissioner of Lancaster

county in 1808.

SCHWAETZ, Conrad, elected County Commissioner in

1805.

SCOTT, Abraham, a member of the Legislature in the

years 1781, 1782 and 1783.

SCOTT, Alexander, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1797, 1798, 1799 and 1800. He was also elected

to the State Senate in 1792.

* SCOTT, Major John, son of Samuel Scott, was born

at "Scott's Manor,'" in the year 1719-50. At the time of

'Scott's Manor was a name given to a large tract of land taken upand patented probably as early as 1740, by Samuel Scott, an original

settler in Little Britain, and the father of John Soott. The mansion

* Contributed by Charles H. Stubbs, M. D.

OF LAXCASTEE COUXTY. 513

the breaking out of the Eevolutionary struggle with the

mother country he was a young man, and it appears that he

did not enter the service in the first years of the war. The

contest for freedom becoming protracted, and for a time the

final success of the Americans under Washington doubtful,

John Scott, like many other patriots of that time, resolved

to leave his rural pursuits and join the army. At the age

of twenty-seven he recruited a company of militia, composed

•chiefly of his neighbors—the yeomen of Little Britain—and

marched it to Lancaster. He was elected captain, and his

company entered as part of the second battalion of Lancaster

county militia, formed in the year 1777.

James Watson was elected Colonel of this battalion; James

Porter, Lieutenant-colonel, and Dorrington Wilson, Major.

It consisted of eight companies, numbering, rank and file

eight hundred and five men. John Scott commanded the

first company, and consequently acted as senior captain.

This battalion was ordered to the front immediately after

its formation, and took part in the principal battles fought

in the Middle States. Captain Scott remained in the service

during the war, was present and took part in the battles of

Brandywine, Germantown, and soveral engagements near

New York and on Long Island. For bravery he was pro-

moted to the rank of Major. After the close of the war he

was honorably discharged, and returned to the Manor, which

he inherited upon the decease of his father. Here he spent

the remaining years of his life in superintending and im-

proving his estate. He died at an early age, on the 1st of

February, 1796, in his 4:7th year. His remains were interred

•in the southeast corner of the graveyard attached to Little

Britain Presbyterian church. Over the grave his son and

daughter have erected a handsome marble obelisk, seven

feet in height, resting on a broad, flat, limestone base. Onthe west side is the following epitaph: "Major John Scott,

an officer under Washington during the Pievolutionary war,

who distinguished himself at the battles of Long Island,

house erected by him, stood near the site of the jiresent residence of

Samixel Scott, a greaf-grandson of the settler. The farms of iS". Davis

Scott, Samuel Scott, and several of the Wrights, of Little Britain, wereoriginally parts of this manor.

514: BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

White Plains, Brandywine, Germantown, &c. Died Febru-

ary 1, 1796, aged 47 years." On the east side: "Erected

by William and Eleanor Graham Scott, October 17, 1845, in

memory of their departed friends."

SELDOMEIDGE, John, elected Prothonotary of Lan-

caster county in 1863.

*SEYBERT, Eev. John. In many respects the subject of

this memoir was a very remarkable man. As regards firm-

ness of will and rigid self-denial he probably stands unrivaled.

Indefatigable activity, faithful, disinterested and self-sacrific-

ing devotion for the dissemination of what he regarded as-

the truth, were peculiarly marked features of his character.

Unlettered and untaught as regards the technical rules of

science, his natural good sense and discriminating judgment

supplied in his career the want of early advantages, and

rendered him one of the ablest theologians of his time and

country. His father was a native of Germany, and came to

America during the Eevolution, with the British army, then

a youth of but fifteen years of age. At the close of the

war he chose to remain in this country, and for this offence

was imprisoned in Lancaster in default of one hundred dol-

lars commutation money. A man by the name of Shaffuer,

commiserating the condition of young Seybert, paid for

him the hundred dollars, on condition that he should serve

three years in his employ as a tailor. After the termination

of this period of service, he married a young woman namedSusana Kreutzer, whose father when crossing the ocean to

America, had found a watery grave amidst the deep waves

of the Atlantic. By industry and economy Henry Seybert^

the father of the subject of this sketch, acquired some

property, and died in March, 1806, leaving a farm and some

considerable amount of money.

John Seybert, the subject of our notice, was born near

Manheim, Lancaster county. Pa., July 7th, 1791. He was

the oldest of four children, all of whom were sons. Whenhe was about thirteen years of age his parents became the

subjects of religious conviction, and his mother being a

woman of very tender sensibilities, was the first to yield to

*Contributed by John B. Good, esq.


ter feelings, but it was not long till the father also followed,

and from this time their house became the principal resort

of the Ministers of the Albright Society, now more generally

known as Evangelical Methodists. It was under the influ-

ences that thus surrounded him that young Seybert first felt

the workings of God's spirit in his heart, but at this time,

however, no permanent impression seems to have been made,

for as he himself says: " His love of levity and vanity was

still too strong." Indeed, at this time, it is said that his

parents regarded him as the most perverse of all their chil-

dren; his strong will and firm independence seeming in their

eyes wickedness of the deepest dye. At the age of ten years

he began going to school, and continued his attendance

during the winter months of every year, until he acquired a

fair knowledge of both English and German. His father

also sent him to a Lutheran clergyman as a catechumen,

with the design of having him confirmed as a member of

that church. He says that at this time he and the other

catechumens were very wicked sinners, who were guilty of

all manner of sins and wickedness. For some reason or

other he was never confirmed as a member of the Lutheran

church. He may, perhaps, have regarded himself as too

vile a sinner, for he believed that the bad company in the

school and among the catechumens, made him still worse

than he otherwise should have been. He was now thirteen

years of age, and was passionately fond of the fascinations of

sin, which he says he committed with the greatest zest.

At the age of fourteen, when his parents had already

changed their religious views, he frequently felt the influence

of the Spirit striving with him, but he always deferred his

conversion, still thinking that there was yet plenty of time,

and thus no permanent effects towards a regeneration were

produced. During all this time good and evil seem to have

waged a terrible conflict in his soul. When under religious

influence he felt penitent, but evil with him still held the

upper hand; and when amongst his youthful companions,

he would, against better knowledge, commit sins for which

conscience afterwards had to suffer many pangs of anguish,

and reo;ret. His father having- died in 180(3, his mother be-


came a follower of the celebrated George Rapp, left her

children and lived in Eapp's colony, called " New Harmony,"

near Pittsburg, Pa., leaving her family to take care of them-

selves as best they could. His mother used every persuasion

to induce her sons to follow her into her new relationship,

but John, the oldest of them, manifested at this time, though

but sixteen years of age, such independence of will as is

rarely found to be possessed by one of his age. Though he

never could be induced to follow her, but frequently visited

her, and whilst she lived tendered her every mark of filial

aflection. In 1810, when he was nineteen years old, he was

brought under conviction, through a sermon of Rev. Mr.

Betz, and after a protracted struggle committed himself to

God. He became a member of the Evangelical Association

(German Methodists), in which he was soon selected as a

class leader and public exhorter. One of his classes was in

Manheim, and the other in Mount Joy, Lancaster county,

Pa. In 1819 he entered the ministry as a local preacher,

and the year following set out as an itinerant.

His literary and scientific attainments at this time were of

the most limited character. He had little other attainment,

save being able to read and write in the most plain and humble

manner. But he was in possession of an indomitable will,

and his untiring energy and never flagging industr}'-, together

with his clear thoughts and common sense, soon compen-

sated for lack of education. He rapidly improved as a pulpit

,declaimer, and it was not long till friends and enemies be-

came convinced that John Seybert was by no means a manof ordinary ability. He was, nevertheless, the subject of

many privations, and of the most bitter persecution, and that

on the part of those from whom better things should have

been expected. To us it seems almost incredible that a

-man whose energies are enlisted in behalf of the welfare ot

ihis fellow-men, should meet with so much opposition, and

often, indeed,, with brutal treatment. Among ids bitter per-

secutors were some who stood high in the church, but whose

vile treatment of him were no doubt in a great measure

influenced by envy at his rising reputation. John Seybert

was always scrupulously plain and simple in his dress. He

OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 517"

never wore boots, but always brogans. In his diary he

mentions, that at one time he was traveling in a heavy con-

tinuous rain, which drenched him thoroughly; his brogans

were iilled with water, and yet he adds, " such things did not

discourage me." On account of the faithful discharge of his

duties as a minister, his advancement in the church was

rapid. In June, 1822, he was elected deacon, and in the

same month, three years later, was made a presiding elder.

He always kept a diary, in which he noted down a full sy-

nopsis of his labors as an itinerant preacher, as well as his

experiences of inner life, his hopes and his fears, his joys and

his sorrows. In the earlier years of his ministry he was

much troubled as to his being divinely called to preach the

Gospel of Christ. Whenever his brethren in the ministry

conferred a new mark of confidence upon him, or promoted

him to some new position in the church, he invariably in

his diary expresses great distrust and diflBdence ; but gener-

ally consoles himself with the reflection, that it was not his

own, but the judgment of the brethren that prompted the

step, and that consec[uently he was not personally responsi-

ble, as it was done without his request or solicitation.

There is in the earlier part of the minutes of his diary, a

feature that forcibly strikes the attention of the reader. Hehardly pays any attention to the political divisions of the

country, such as townships or counties ; he simply mentions

the name of the families whose hospitality he enjoyed, and

little more than this is noted by him. The geographical

localities he passes over in silence. He speaks of rivers,

mountains, and valleys, as these were objects that plainly

presented themselves to his vision ; but of the imaginary

lines that divided townships and counties, he gives little or

no mention. They, perhaps, did not occur to his mind. Butthis is not the only instance that this really great man appears

simple as a child. All his energies were directed to one

point, and that was the glory of his Divine Master ; all else

was, in his opinion, folly and vanity, and hence worthy of but

little attention.

He was elected bishop at the seventh session of the gen-

eral conference of the Evangelical Association held at Mill-

518 BIOGEAFHICAL HISTORY

heim, in Centre county, Pennsylvania, commencing March

25th, 1839. There were at this time only eighty traveling

preachers connected with the church, of whom thirty were

present as delegates to the conference. His election to the

bishoprick took place on the second day of the session, at

about five o'clock in the evening, and he was the unanimous

choice of all the clergymen in attendance at the conference.

It is noteworthy the great simplicity that characterized the

clergymen of that early day, and the economical habits that

they practiced ;and conspicuous amongst the early pioneers,

Bishop Seybert deserves special mention. His habits were

so simple, and his wants so few, that he required little else

to supply his wants, save the merest necessities of life. Asan example of his economical method of traveling, the fol-

lowing instance may suffice : He traveled from eastern Penn-

sylvania into the interior of the State of New York, a dis-

tance of three hundred miles, at an expense of $2.83 J, board-

ing and fare included. His path through life never was one'

strewed with flowers, but he had ever his own difficulties

with which to contend. Amongst these the following maybe cited as illustrative of the obstacles which he was required

to encounter. On the 7th of August, 1840, he attended a

camp-meeting on Turkey Hill, Lancaster county, and was

considerably annoyed by the conduct of some ill-bred menwho were in attendance. Of them he thus speaks :

" These

creatures did not behave themselves at all like human be-

ings ; they were, if human, some of the Turkey Hill brutish

men, who either never had any sense at all, or left it at home

with their oxen, horses, and sheep ; for they walked about

with heads devoid of all reason ; they jolted each other

about, and made use of such vulgar and profane language

that every decent person was ashamed of them."

During the first four years of his official term as bishop,

there were three of his conferences—the East Pennsylvania,

West Pennsylvania, and Ohio. At each of these he presided

as bishop ; beginning with the East Pennsylvania conference

he reached that of West Pennsylvania in April, and the one

held in Ohio in May. In 18-44 the Illinois conference wasorganized, but by that time another bishop had been elected,


who shared the labors of the otBce with him. The new

bishop was Eev. Joseph Long, who was elected in 184:4.

The two bishops divided the work between them, Bishop

Long presiding at the sessions of the Pennsylvania confer-

ence, and Bishop Seybert at those of Ohio and Illinois.

While engaged in the incessant labors of his office he visited

in August, 1845, the churches of his denomination in UpperCanada. Here the people were much surprised at his plain

dress, his child-like simplicity of manners, and to hear the

unadorned and unstudied style of his address. They ex-

pected to hear a bishop, most necessarily of great consequence

as well as of exterior display, and whose preaching wouldfar transcend the intelligence of plain people. But in this

they were very agreeably disappointed, for in Bishop Seybert

they found a faithful follower of his Divine Master, whoendeavored to be the servant of all.

On account of the sickness of his co-adjutant, Bishop

Long, in the spring of 1846, he was required to preside at

the sessions of both the Pennsylvania conferences as well as

those in the West. On the 4th of July of that year he

happened to be in Mount Carmel, Illinois, and in his diary

notes some reflections which he indulged in as regards the

observance of the national holiday. He says that the chil-

dren of this world early began the celebration of the day

with drinking, dueling, profanity and wild cheering. Headds, however: "I also got on my feet, hurriedly visited

nine families in the morning, then shaved myself, greased

my shoes and put on clean clothes, and then traveled thirty

miles that day." From the above extract it is perceived

that he used grease for his shoes instead of boot-blacking,

an article he seems never to have used, this being categoried

by him in the list of luxuries.

One instance of the charitable feelings of Bishop Seybert

is thus detailed : On a cold day in the winter of 1846, while

traveling in Ohio, he met a constable who was hauling a

weaver's loom on a sled. Having entered into conversation

with the officer, he learned that he had levied on the loomfor a debt of little over four dollars; that the owner of the

loom was a poor weaver, who depended on his trade for the


support of a numerous family. The bishop listened patiently

to the end of the story, and then declared that this case wastoo hard, and asked the constable whether he would return

the loom to its owner if he paid the debt and costs. " 0,

yes," said the ofBicer in reply, "that is all I want." Uponwhich the bishop at once paid the money, and the constable

returned the loom to the poor weaver, who was very muchsurprised as well as heartily thankful to this eccentric

stranger for his act of kindness. The weaver afterwards

became a member of the bishop's church, obtained the posi-

tion of class-leader in the same, and afterwards the bishop

and other clergymen frequently preached sermons at his

house.

He attended the general conference of his church at NewBerlin, in Union county. Pa., and on the 22d of October, 18-±7,

was reelected bishop, this making his third term in the

episcopal office. During the year 1850 he refused to accept

any salary at all, as he regarded it the year of jubilee of the

Evangelical Association, it being the 50th year since the

denomination was founded by Jacob Albright, in the county

of Lancaster, Pa. It was his intention to accept nothing at

all after this as a salary ; but he was censured by others for

this, as it was considered the setting of a bad precedent, and

he therefore yielded so far as to accept the salary, but dis-

posed of it at his discretion for benevolent purposes. About

this time he changed his mode of traveling on horseback to

a dearborn wagon. At all events, in the spring of 1850 he

attempted to ford the Lycoming creek, above Williamsport,

Pa., with a dearborn wagon, at a time when the stream was

much swollen, and he narrowly escaped iinding a watery

grave. Henceforth he was much more cautious in venturing

to cross a stream of water. In 1852, at the general confer-

ence held at Pittsburg, Pa., he was reelected for the fourth

time to the episcopal office. From May 1st to June 19th,

1853, he preached a series of sermons in the State of NewYork and Upper Canada. His appointments were all made

in advance of his arrival for a thousand miles, and he punc-

tually sixpplied all of them at the very times that had been

specified. On September 2'±th, 1855, at the general con-


ference, he was for the fifth time elected bishop, which occa-

sioned still deeper feelings of humility to rise in his soul,

and he again formed new resolutions to labor with industry

and faithfulness in God's cause. On the 11th of September,

1856, he met with an accident at Lincoln, Stark county,

Illinois. His horse ran off, upset his carriage, and threw

him upon the ground with great violence, and from this fall

he was very severely injured. He alludes in his diary to

this accident in the following language: "There was great

danger that my old and weary body, which was become

frail and weak through preaching 10,000 sermons during the

last thirty-five years, had entirely broken down; for I find

that the hardships incident to the itinerant ministry have

impaired my strength. The Lord has, however, helped meagain in this misfortune. To Him be praise forever."

About this time Bishop Seybert presided in the WestPennsylvania conference, where he took occasion to speak

very earnestly of the duties of traveling preachers, and with

much warmth expressed his disapprobation of the conduct of

those who had forsaken the itinerancy and settled down to

enjoy an easy life. "As for me," he said, "it is my intention

to die in the field; when I can no longer preach every day,

then I will preach four times a week ; if that won't go any

more, I will preach twice a week; and if I cannot preach any

more twice a week, I'll preach once; 1 will die on Zion's walls."

In 1858 he wrote in his diary : "What a happy man I am in my68th year ; I am at present well almost every day, and in good

spirits ; my sense of hearing is very acute, and I frequently

read without spectacles, and if necessary, would try to preach

three times a day. Glory to God." On October 13, 1859, he

was elected bishop for the sixth time. In politics Bishop

Seybert was always a Democrat, yet towards the institution

of slavery was exceedingly hostile. He ever felt disinclined

to travel in territory where slavery was sanctioned by law.

Whenever he returned from a slave State he thanked Godfor the deliverance from the accursed soil. He believed that

the principles of the Democratic party were right, but that

slavery did not belong to them ; the evil one had sown these

tares in the field of Democracy. On the 18th of December,

36


1860, he preached for the last time. His journal stops with

the 28th of the same month. He stopped with a man namedIsaac Parker, near Bellevue, Sandusky county, Ohio. Being

asked concerning the cause of his weakness, he merely spoke

of having a bad cold. He rested on a lounge, and occasionally

read his favorite authors, viz : jHiller, A'Kempis and

Tauler. He also regularly read his Bible lesson every day.

About an hour before his death he related that he had a

• dream, and in his dream that he came to a place where there

were many preachers who were all glad to see him, and he

• desired to greet all by shaking hands with them, but that

the number was so great that he had not yet had time to do

so before he awoke. An hour later no doubt his dream was

realized, in meeting an_innumerable company of the redeemed

in heaven.

Bishop Seybert died January i, 1861. When the near

approaching symptoms of death made their appearance, Mr.

Parker, at whose house he was lodging, went out to call some

of the neighbors that they might be present when the spirit

of the aged pilgrim would take its departure. His son re-

mained alone with him in the room. The weary wayfarer

«at upon his lounge, his hands folded like those of a child in

prayer. All at once he broke the solemn silence by saying

:

'•'' How terrible must death be to a wicked person." Then

having paused for a few moments, he again remarked

:

" Death commences below," at the same time laying his

hands lower down on his body, " and proceeds upwards, and

when he comes to this place," placing his hand upon his

heart, " then it is all over with us." Thus I also shall some-

time fall asleep. Here his voice stopped ; he sunk on the

lounge, and while young Parker stood by his side, he gently

fell asleep and his spirit took its flight to the mansions of

the blessed.

SHAW, Anthony, who emigrated from Ireland and settled

within the limits of the Friends' meeting, atSadsbury, was a

man of considerable ability, being well educated, and remark-

able for his piety and his many virtues, and was a worthy

and serviceable member of the denomination of Friends at

the time that the Sadsbury monthly meeting was first estab-


lished. He was elected a member of the Legislature for the

years 1740-11—42-43. He was appointed a commissioner

and justice of the peace for Lancaster county in the year 1738,

and the ancient documents in Sadsbury and Salisbury attest

his abilities as a writer, a scholar and an upright and con-

scientious man.

SHAEFFER, Bartraji A., was born in Lancaster county

in 1824, and at an early age removed to Ohio, where he re-

ceived his education. Having returned to Lancaster, he

•began the study of law in the office of George Ford, esq.,

and was admitted to the bar in the year 1847. Interesting

himself considerably in politics, he was soon honored with

the confidence of his party, and was returned as a member

of the Legislature in the year 1850, and also in 1851. Ac-

quitting himself with credit, he was elected to the State Sen-

ate in 1857. He was also chosen attorney for the Pennsyl-

vania railroad company, a position he held for several

years. Upon the organization of the militia in 1858, he was

appointed major general of the division composed of the

counties of Lancaster and Chester. When the rebellion

broke out, he immediately tendered his services, and was

appointed as aid on the staff of General Keim, of Berks

county. He served in this capacity for six months, being

with General Patterson's division in the Shenandoah valley.

His health and eyesight failing, he was compelled to give

up military service and return home. He was for some time

engaged with C. S. Kauffman, of Columbia, in the iron

manufacture. He died in 1864.

SHELLEY, Abraham, was elected a member of the

Legislature in the years 1846^7.

SHENCK, Henry S., was elected Register of Wills in 1869.

SHENK, Michael, a Commissioner of Lancaster county,

elected by the Republicans in October, 1804. He was a citi-

zen of Conestoga township, and an active and useful citizen.

He died October 18th, 1806.

SHENK, Rudolph W., was born in Conestoga township,

Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of October, 1834.

His parents were Christian Shenk, (now deceased) and Mary


Warfel Shenk, and his ancestors were among the earliest

settlers of Lancaster county. He attended school at Litiz,

under Prof. John Beck, from 1849 to 1851. In 1852 he entered

the academy at Erie, Pa., and in 1864 entered DartmouthCollege, where he graduated in 1858. He read law and wasadmitted to the bar in November, 1859. At the breakino-

out of the rebellion he enlisted in Co. F. (Lancaster Fenci-

bles) Captain Emlen Franklin, first regiment Pennsylvania

volunteers, and served until the expiration of their term of

enlistment. In August 1862 he was appointed Major of the

185th regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers, and served with

the same until it was mustered out of service at the expira-

tion of its term of enlistment. He was appointed deputy

marshal of the Ninth district, Pennsylvania, in June 1863,

and was elected to the Legislature in the years 1864-65.

He is engaged in the practice of his profession, and is a mem-ber of the firm of Bair & Shenk, bankers, of this city.

SHEEEE, Joseph, was a delegate from Lancaster county

to the the convention which framed, in 1776, the |irst Con-

stitution of Pennsylvania.

SHIPPEN, Edward, was one of the leading citizens of

Lancaster borough for many years before and at the break-

ing out of the American revolution. He held most of the

county offices, as prothonotary, register, recorder, &c., from

the year 1753 up to the commencement of the revolution.

He was one of the committee on correspondence appointed

at a meeting held in Lancaster, June 15th, 1774, to corre-

spond with the committee of. Philadelphia, which had been

constituted to obtain an interchange of sentiment among the

people of Pennsylvania with reference to united action in

opposition to British encroachment. At a meeting of this

committee, consisting of Edward Shippen, Geo. Eoss, Jasper

Yeates, Matthias Slough, James Webb, William Atlee,

William Henry, Ludwig Lauman, William Bausman and

Charles Hall, held July 2d, 1776, Edward Shippen was

chosen president of the committee. He had been chief bur-

gess of the borough of Lancaster for some years, and was

acting in that capacity in 1763, when the Conestoga Indians

were massacred by the Paxton rangers. Edward Shippen,


with other of the leading citizpns, were attending church at

the time the work of destruction was going on, and before

they were able to reach the pcene, the Paxton boys' had

again mounted their steeds and left the town.

'Massacre of the Conestoga Indians : The massacre of the Conestoga

Indians by the Paxton boys, enacted withm Lancaster county, is one of

those events that attained a historical importance second to none that

ever transpired in the county limits. It is one of those scenes of history

that to be understood requires a resume of facts generaUj' lost sight of.

Pennsylvania having been settled by the Quakers, it can readily be

supposed on account of the persecutions they endured in England that

this class of peoxjle would flock into the new asylum opened up by TTll-

liam Perm, in considerable numbers. The result was that they obtained

control of the State government for many years; most of the State and

county oiflcers were members of this persuasion, except in the most

western parts of the settlements. The majority of the assembly were

Quakers, and, indeed, their policy shaped the affairs of the State nearly

up to the commencement of the Revolution. Tlie Scotch-Irish, a numer-

ous body of early settlers, were found mostly upon the borders of the

settlements ; and being a bold, daring, and adventuresome class of peo-

ple, they were encouraged by the government to choose their homes in

those localities, as being the best adapted to buiiet Indian collision. After

the breaking out of the conspu-acy of Pontiac, in 17G2, the tide of Indian

warfare began to rise in the west, and during 1763 the border settlements

of Pennsylvania became the scenes of the most apjjalling desolation and

distress that had ever yet been witnessed in those regions. It would be

a lengthy task, and revolting to explore through aU the details the hor-

rid monotony of blood and havoc presented in the history of Indian

brutality and carnage brought upon the white settlers of Pennsylvania

at this doleful ijeriod. The settlements were filled with the wildest dis-

may and horror. The people, such as could escape, left their homes in

consternation and fled in thousands to the settlements further east.

Lancaster county was filled with refugees who had escaped for their

lives, leaving the settlements one vast eharnel receptacle, filled with

the bones of their murdered relatives and kinsmen.

The scene presented in some of the settlements, beggars description.

Ranging parties who visited in bodies the sights of desolation, discov-

ei'ed with unspeakable horror in the depths of the forest, the half con-

sumed bodies of men and women still bound fast to trees where they hadperished in fiery torture. Here lay the lifeless trunks of fathers and

brothers who had fallen in an unequal contest, striving to resist the surg-

ing wave of Indian flu'y ; and there, rolled in a common mass, were the

mangled corpses of mothers, sisters and children, whose blood the toma-

hawks of the savage had drunk. It was a sad but maddening sight. Awail of agony rose to heaven over the scenes of desolation; but a resolve

of revenge was then formed bitter, burning and unquenchable revenge,

that retaUatiou should be obtained for such fiendish cruelties. Thelack woods rangers, who visited the scenes described, swore a solemn


SHIPPEN", Hexry, was captain of the company that

marched to Baltimore in 181i, in which were James Buch-

anan, Jasper Slaymaker and others. He read law in the

office of James Hopkins, but his tastes being of a military

oath of vengeance never to sheath their sabers ere the heart' s blood of their

assailants, the savages of the forest, was spiUed. An eye witness whosaw the desolation that followed in the wake of Indian aggression, said :

"The Indians had set fire to the houses, barns, corn, hay, and in short,

to everything that was combustible, so that the whole country seemed

to be one general blaze. The miseries and distress of the poor people

were really shocking to humanity, and beyond the power of language to

describe. Carlisle was become the barrier, not a single individual being

beyond it. Every stable and hovel in the town was crowded with mis-

erable refugees, who were reduced to a state of beggary and despair;

their houses, cattle and harvest desti-oyed; and from a plentiful, inde-

pendent people, they were become real objects of charity and commiser-

ation. It was most dismal to see the streets filled with people in whosecountenances might be discovered a mixture of grief, madness and de-

spair; and to hear, now and then, the sighs and groans of meu, the dis-

consolate lamentations of women, and the screams of children who hadlost their nearest and dearest relatives. On both sides'of the Susque-

hamia, for some miles, the woods were filled with poor families and their

cattle, who make fire and live like the savages." Conspiracy of Pontiac,

p. 383.

The Scotch-Irish, in whose settlements it was that this desolation

reigned, implored the government of Pennsylvania to aid them in resist-

ing Indian aggression. But "the Quakers, w'ho seemed resolved that

they would neither defend the people of the frontier nor allow them to

defend themselves, vehemently inveighed against the several expeditions

up the Sixsquehanna, and denounced them as seditious and murderous.

Urged by their blind prejudice in favor of the Indians, they insisted

that the bands of the Upper Susquehanna were friendly to the EngUsh

;

whereas, with the single exception of a few Moravian converts near

Wyoming, who had no", been molested, there could be no rational doubt

that these savages nourished a rancorous and malignant hatred against

the province. But the Quakers, removed by their situation from all fear

of the tomahawk, securely vented their sjîte against the borderers and

doggedly closed theii' ears to the truth. Meanwhile the people of the

frontier besieged the Assembly -n-ith petitions for relief ; but httle heed

was given to their complaints. " Conspiracy of Pontiac, p. 391-8. It was' well asceitained that at least two thousand persons had been killed or

carried oif from the settlements on the border. This loss was one that

the Scotch-Irish population had to endui'e. Goaded to desperation by

their long continued sufiering, they were divided between rage against

the Indians and resentment against the Quakers, who had yielded them,

cold sympathy and inefficient aid. They complained fiercely that they

were interposed as a barrier between the rest of the province and a

ferocious enemy, and that they were sacrificed to the safety of men who

OF LAXCASTEB COUXTT. 527

cast and not succeeding to his expectation, he made an effort

to obtain a situation in the army, but was. unsuccessful. Heremoved to Huntingdon and practiced law there for some

years. He married a Miss Elizabeth Evans, of Sunbury.

looked with indifference on their miseries and lost no opportunity to

extenuate and smooth away the cruelties of their destroyers. Theydeclared that the Quakers would go further to befriend a murdering In-

dian than to succor a fellow countryman.

It is not difficult to conceive the depth of feeling that would exist in a

community situated as were the Scotch-Irish at tliat early period. Theyhad besought aid of the Assembly in vain. They had also asked that

the Indians living in the interior of the white settlements be removed,

as they regarded all those professing friendship as spies and harborers

of their enemies. To all these requests the Quaker Assembly turned a

deaf ear. The Quakers clung to their policy of uon-resistance, and left

the borderers to shift for themselves as best they could. .The rancor

that rose on the part of the Scotch-Irish towards the Quakei-s and their

policy was of the bitterest kind. Never was hatred more deep andgeneral than on the Pennsylvania frontier at this period ; and never did

so many collateral causes unite to inflame it to madness. It was by nomeans confined to the vulgar. JIagistrates, and even the clergy shared

it, and it is not surprising that it found a vent. In the Manor of Con-

estoga, about five miles from Lancaster, was a small baud of Indians,

chiefly of Iroquois blood, that had resided there since the fii'st settle-

ment of the province. These Indians William Penn had visited andmade treaties witli them, which had been ratified by subsequent gov-

ernors. They had rernained on terms of friendship with the English.

The community had greatly decreased in membership, and no longer

numbered over twenty individuals. These were clustered together in

miserable huts, and were in the habit of gathering a pitiable subsistence

by beggary and a petty merchandizing amongst the white settlers of

the country aroimd them. The men spent most of their time in fishing

and hunting, and loitering around in idleness. In their neighborhood

they passed for innocent vagabonds.

Among the Scotch-Irish, on the contrary, they were looked upon as

spies ; and as guilty of giving shelter to scalping parties, and even in

aiding their enemies in their depredations. That they were not alto-

gether wrong in their opinions was proven by a mass of testimony;

though the treachery may have been confined 'o one or two individuals.

The exasperated frontiersmen were not in a mood to discriminate be-

tween the innocent and guilty. They did not think these Indians .should

be permitted to occupy a position where they would have it in their

power to do them injury. They belonged at least to that hated race

that had brought so much misery upon themselves and their country-

men. A body of rangers, whose headquarters was the little town of

Paxton, on the east bank of the Susquehanna, became noted about this

time for their zeal and efficiency in defending the borders. John Elder,

a Presbyterian clergyman of great worth and piety of character, had


Afterwards, througli the influence of Molton C. Eogers,

Secretary of State under Governor Shultz, he was appointed

President Judge of the court of common pleas of one of

the western judicial districts. He died March 2, 1839.

influenced the formation of this band, as it became necessai'y to have of

them guards around the church while he was engaged in the perform-

auce of divine sei-vice. This band of rangers was composed of the best

men in the community ; they were orderly and upright citizens, as the

Eev. John Elder himself testified. One of their principal leaders was!Mattbew Smith, a man of urfluence and popularity amongst his asso-

ciates, and one by no means destitute of culture, and yet who at the

same time .shared a full proportion of the general hatred against the

Indian race, and suspicion against the baud at Conestoga.

About the middle of December a scout called upon Smith aud informed

him that an Indian who had been committing depredations in the

neighborhood had been tracked to Conestoga. Having communicated

this to five of his companions, they armed, mounted and set out for the

Indian settlement, where they arrived in the night. Smith dismounted

from his horse and crawled fonvard cautiously until he saw, or imagined

he saw, a number of ai-med warriors in the cabins. He returned, and

related this to his companions, but fearing that they were too weak to

attack the party, returned with all speed to Paxton. Theii' blood being

now ujj, they determined to extirpate the Couestogas. Messengers were

sent in all directions, and on the following day fifty armed men, chiefly

fiom Donegal and Paxton, assembled at the place agreed upon. Theyset out with Smith as their leader, and arrived at Conestoga before day-

light on the morning of the fourteenth. As they neared the place they

perceived the light of a fire in one of the cabins, and haviug fastened

their horses, they cautiously advanced towards the light. An Indian,

ha\"iug heard the noise of their footsteps or voices, advanced to see

whence the noise came. As soon as he came near, one of the men, fancy-

ing that he recognized him , exclaimed with an oath, "He is the one that

killed my mother," and tiring his rule brought the Indian to the ground.

"With a general shout they now all rushed forward aud closed the

career of all the Indians they could find. There were but six of them,

the remainder, in accordance with their vagrant habits, being scattered

about the neighborhood. They closed their vengeance at this place byburuing all the cabins, and set out for home by the dawn of day. Theniorniug was cold, and snow was falling and covered the ground to a

considerable depth. They were met by a man named Thomas Wright,

who somewhat struck by their appearance, began a conversation with

them. They freely, and without compunction, told him all they haddone. Proceeding some distance further they began to scatter around

amongst the settlers in order to obtain some food for themselves and

horses. Several of them rode to the house of Robert Barber, a promi-

nent settler, near Wright's Ferry, who seeing the strangers shaking the

snow from their blanket coats, invited them to enter, and caused refresh-

ments to be set before them. Haviug remained a short time seated


SHIRK, Henry, was elected County Commissioner in

1810, and reelected again in 1819.

SHOCH, Samuel, of Columbia, was born in Harrisburg

on the 28tli of May, 1797. His opportunities of education

around the fire, they remounted and rode oft' through the snow storm.

Whilst they were in the house, a boy belonging to the family had gone

out where the horses were standing, and coming in reported that he had

seen a tomahawk covered with blood hanging to the saddle of each, and

also a gun belonging to one of the Indian cliildren. Barber at once sus-

jiectedthe truth, and having given information to his neighbors, a com-

pany of them started otf to the Indian settlement, where they found the

cabins in ashes and the charred remains ofthe slaughtered Indians. While

they were there the sheritf of Lancaster county with a party of menarrived at the place ; and the tirst object of that of6cer was to send

through the neighborhood and gather up the Indians that had escaped

—

fouii:een in number. The survivors as soon as they learned the fate of

their friends were in great terror for their own lives, and earnestly begged

protection. They were brought to Lancaster, amidst the greatest excite-

ment, and lodged in the county jail, a strong stone building, and one

which was deemed svrfticieut to afford the amplest protection.

News of the massacre was immediately sent to Philadelphia, ujjon

the hearing of which the governor at once issued a proclamation de-

nouncing the act, and ofteriug a reward for the arrest of the perpetrators.

But in the excited state of pubUc feeling at that time arrests were out

of the question, as resistance wordd have been oft'ered to any force that

might have been sent into the Scotch-Irish settlements. Nothing

daunted by the Governor's proclamation, the Paxton rangers determined

to complete the work they had begun. In this determination they were

incited by a prevailing impression that one of the Indians that hadfound protection at Lancaster had murdered the relatives of one of their

number. They desijatched a spy to learn the condftion of afl'au-s at

Lancaster, and upon his return they again assembled at the usual ren-

dezvous. Ou this occasion the leader of the party was a Lazaiiis Stewaii;,

a young man highly esteemed ou the borders for his heroic qualities and

chivalrous deportment. Early on the 37th of December the party, about

fifty in number, left Paxton on their work of death. About three

o'clock in the afternoon, armed with ritle, knife and tomahawk, they

rode into Lancaster at a gallop, turned their horses into the yard of a

pubhc house, and ijroceeded forthwith to the jaU. In a moment the

doors were bvrrst open and they rushed in. The Indians were at the

time in a smaU yard adjacent to the building, and surrounded by strong

walls. Hearing the noise and alarmed by the sight of armed men in the

doorway, two or three of them grasped billets of wood in self-defence.

This show of resistance doubly maddened the foremost of the party,

and rushing foi-ward they fired their rifles amongst the Indians, huddled

in a corner. The tomahawk soon ended the struggle, and the "Quakerjiets, " as they termed them, lay weltering in their gore.

The magistrates being in church, attending the Christmas sen'ice.


were limited to the schools of that place and the "West Not-

tingham academy, in Cecil county, Maryland, under the

presidential care of the Eev. Doctor Magraw. In 1814,

when the British array destroyed the capitol at Washington,

which had been postponed from the twenty-fifth, a messenger suddenly

appeared at the chui-ch door, and in broken exclamations was heard to

say :" Murder—the jail—the Paxtoa boys—the Indians." The assem-

bly broke up in disorder, and Edward Shippeu, the chief bui'gess,

hastened towards the scene; but before he could reach it, all was over,

and the rangers had remounted and were galloping from the town. Thesherift' and the coroner had mingled with tlie rangers, and as their ene-

mies alleged, aided and abetted them in their work of destruction, but

they contended that they were endeavoring to save the Indians. Thepeople crowded into the jail to gaze at the dead Indians, and when their

curiosity was sated they gathered their bodies together and buried themnot far from the town. There their- bones reposed until the raib-oad

was being made through the city, when they were disinterred by the

workmen. The massacre of the Indians occasioned a vast clamor

when it reached Philadelphia, and the Governor issued another procla-

mation, probably to allay Quaker feeling, for he could not but have

known that nothing else would be gained. It would have been madness

to attempt to make any arrests of parties engaged in the transaction

;

and the best evidence that all thought so is, that no attempt was madeimtil years afterwards, when all the excitement had died away.

This event of history can be regarded justly in no other bght than as

an exhibition of the pent up rage against the Indians for the atrocities

committed on the white settlers, and partially out of vengeance towards

the Quakers, because of their unaccountable attachment to the Indians

in preference to the whites, as it was regarded. It can not, and should

not be viewed as the work of a vulgar mob. It was none such. It was

simply the reflex Of the public opinion as it existed amongst the settlers

on the borders. 'Would any of the rangers who perpetrated the deed

have been punished by a jury of their Scotch-Irish neighbors had these

been placed on trial '? They had the power to punish them, if they had

the wiU, but this was wanting. Did Lazai-us Stewart, or Matthew

Smith sink in public estimation for the part they had figured in the

transaction ? Let the history of those days answer the question. They

received the endorsement of high character and standing from the lead-

ing men ou the border, clergymen and others. We shoidd endeavor,

therefore, to place ourselves in imagination in their circumstances before

passing too harsh a jiulgmeut upon them. That the Quakers should con-

demn them is not strange. Does not every violent party man, condemn

those of the opposite party ? So in this case. The Quakers formed the

one party in Pennsylvania, and which, at this time, they governed, and

they endeavored to decry their opponents, the Scotch-Irish, for their

sanctioning the Paxton massacre. Feeling became intensified, because

the event was seized by one party for the injury of the other. Party-

rage gave the transaction its historical importance.

OF LANCASTER COUKTT. 531

he volunteered and served three months in the army under

the immediate command of Captain Eichard M. Grain, of the

Harrisburg Artillerists. He was employed two years as

clerk in the land department at Harrisburg. _In 1820 he

was admitted to practice law at the bar of Dauphin county.

In 188-5 he was elected Clerk of the House of Eepresenta-

tives, and in 1837 was made secretary to the convention to

amend the Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania. lu

1839 he was appointed cashier of the Columbia Bank and

Bridge Company, which afterwards became the Columbia

National Bank, of which he still has charge. He at one and

the same time served as President of the following compa-

nies and organizations, viz: the Common School Board in

Columbia; the Columbia and Marietta turnpike road com-

pany ; the Columbia and Chesnut Hill turnpike road com-

pany ;the Columbia and Washington turnpike road com-

pany ;the Columbia water company, and the Columbia gas

company ;and, also, as treasurer of the Reading and Colum-

bia railroad company ; director of the poor of Lancaster

county, and of the Wrightsville, York and Gettysburg rail-

road company, and trustee of the Normal School, at Millers-

ville; likewise cashier of the Columbia National Bank. Hehas also served a term as county auditor of Lancaster county,

and fills most of the above posts at the present time. Hehas also been president of the old Columbia public ground

company.

SHREINER, Martin, was born in Lancaster, January

23d, 1767. His father, Philip Shreiner, emigrated from Ger-

many at an early day, and bought the property yet owned

by Martin Shreiner, the grandson of the original proprietor.

Martin Shreiner, the subject of this notice, learned the trade

of a clock-maker with John Eberman, grandfather of Peter

G. Eberman, esq. He was an apprentice of Mr. Ebermanat the time the latter manufactured the old town clock. Hebegan and carried on his business in the same place nowoccupied and owned by his son. He continued in this busi-

ness up to 1829, and then began the manufacturing of en-

gines. In 1818 Martin Shreiner was elected by the City

Councils, one of the first street regulators of Lancaster, and


was reelected to this position in 1819. One of the first engines

manufactured by him, was that made for a hose company of

Lebanon. The Sun engine and hose company, one of the

two oldest fire companies in Lancaster city, having used

their engine from 1798 up till 1829, determined upon pro-

curing a new one. Martin Shreiner was employed by the

company to build an engine at an expense not to exceed

eight hundred dollars. In December, 1830, the following

appears upon the minutes of this company :" The committee

appointed to procure a new fire engine from Martin Shrei-

ner for this company, reported that they had received the

same from Martin Shreiner, which engine upon fair trial,

fully answered the expectation of the company as to beauty

and excellence of work :ianship and power of throwing water,

and that it had been placed in the engine house at the dis-

posal of the company."

In the year 1829 Martin Shreiner and Peter Reed were

elected on the Anti- Masonic ticket, directors of the poor of

Lancaster county. He was for many years an active and

influential member of the City Councils, and in 1832 he was

one of the committee who were instrumental in having the

Columbia and Philadelphia railway brought through the

city of Lancaster. In 1831 he built the celebrated " Ameri-

can fire engine" with two chambers, eight and a-half inches

in diameter, which at its first trial forced the water to the

ball of the Lutheran steeple, two hundred feet high. Heafterwards re-built the Middletown, Litiz and Columbia en-

gines. He was a member of the Lutheran church, and it

was greatly through his influence that the German Lutheran

church, in Vine street, was erected in 1826. About the

year 1836 he laid out and established the first cemetery in

Lancaster, which bears his name ; and because no restriction

was imposed as to the interment of persons of color therein,

the late Thaddeus Stevens chose it as his last resting place.

The cemetery was beautifully ornamented by the care of the

venerable patriarch in life, and his monument now is

one of the chief places of interest within its enclosure. Hedied February 14th, 1866, at the ripe age of 97 years and

22 days.


SHULTZ, David, was born in Dauphin county, Pennsyl-

vania, May 28, 1805. His education was limited, having had

no early advantages. He learned the hatting business with

Jacob Ziegler, of Harrisburg, and traveled for several years

in the capacity of journeyman. He moved to New Holland

in 1824:, and in 1829 began business for himself, which he

continued up to 1852. He became an active politician, and

frequently filled minor trusts in the gift of the people. Haoften represented his party in the county conventions. Hewas appointed in 1847 the first mercantile appraiser in Lan-

caster county, and was twice reappointed. In 1852 he was

elected treasurer of Lancaster county, and held the same for

two years. After moving to Lancaster in 1852 he carried. on

the hatting business in the latter place up to 1856. He next

entered into partnership in the banking business with Hiester,

Henderson and Reed. The firm name was John K. Reed & Co.,

and it continued up till 1861. In 1862 he moved west upon

a farm, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits till 1866,

when he sold his farms and returned again to Lancaster,

where he has since been living, chiefly in retirement.

SHULZE, John Andrew, was a native of Lancaster

(now Lebanon) county, Pa. He was educated for a clergy-

man, and filled the pulpits of several Lutheran congregations

for some years, during the early part of his manhood, but

he was obliged to relinquish them in consequence of some

physical aftection which disabled him from frequent speak-

ing. Sometime afterwards he took up his residence in the

borough of Lebanon, and he soon became somewhat promi-

nent as a politician of the Democratic school. After Leba-

non became formed into a separate county he received the

appointment of prothonotary, the duties of which he dis-

charged for a number of years. In 1822 he was nominated

as the Democratic candidate for the State Senate, and tri-

umphantly elected. In 1823 he was elected Governor of

Pennsylvania, over Andrew Gregg, the Federal candidate,

by nearly 26,000 majority. In 1826 he was reelected to the

same ofhce, without recognized opposition, receiving nearly

73,000 votes out of 75,000 polled. It was during his admin-

istration that the system of public improvements was com-

53i BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

menced, aud if his prudent and cautious recommendations

liad been followed by the Legislature, to finish one line of

canal before commencing another, the commonwealth would

have been saved from a large portion of the debt which

afterwards weighed so heavily upon her citizens.

To Governor Shulze belongs the credit, which is usually

accorded to his successor, of having been the first to advo-

cate a general system of education. In his message of 1828

he said :" The mighty works, and consequent great expen-

ditures undertaken by the State cannot induce me to forbear

again calling attention to the subject of public education.

To devise means for the establishment of a fund, and the

adoption of a plftn, .by which the blessings of the more

necessary branchfs of education should be conferred on

every family within our borders, would be every way worthy

of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, and attention to this

subject at this time would seem to be peculiarly demanded

by the increased number of children and young persons whoare employed in manufactures. The establishment of such

principles would not only have the happiest effects in culti-

vating the minds, but invigorating the physical constitutions

of the young. What nobler incentive can present itself to

the mind of a republican legislator, than a hope that his

labor shall be rewarded by insuring to his country a race of

human beings, healthy and of vigorous constitutions, and of

minds more generally improved than fall to the lot of any

considerable portion of the human family." Far from a

brilliant statesman who could sway the multitude- by his

eloquence, Governor Shulze, nevertheless, possessed adminis-

trative ability which enabled him to preside over the afi'airs

of the commonwealth with credit to himself and satisfaction

to the public.

Few Governors have left the executive chair with as large

a share of personal popularity and carrying with them into

retirement less jjeraonal andpolitical animosity towards them

than did the subject of our notice. Conservative in all his

views, honest and straightforward in all his acts, he com-

manded the confidence of the people and never abused it.

His was not a brilliant, but a judicious, faithful and useful

OF LAXCASrEK COCXTl-. 535

career. Unable to agree with all the measures of his party,

he had the integrity and the independence to array himself

against anything he conceived to be wrong. He was edu-

cated in the Jeflersonian school of politics, and was, therefore,

in feeling and sentiment, an old school Eepublican. Hefavored all the conservative Eepublican measures, of which

Jefferson, Madison and Monroe had been the champions.

With his old party friends he came to differ, however, on the

question of home protection, and after his retirement from

office he became affiliated with the Anti-Masonic party in

sentiment. He was iu 1839 chosen one of the Senatorial

electors of the Anti-Masonic party. After his retirement

from office in 1829 he removed to Lycoming county, where,

in consequence of some unfortunate investments he lost all

he had saved, and became exceedingly poor. He thereupon

removed to Lancaster, at which place he continued to reside

in quiet retirement until his death, which event occurred

November 19, 1852. He lies buried in Woodward Hill

(Jemetery, Lancaster city, and a handsome monument erected

in honor of him by his numerous friends, points out to the

visitor his last resting place. Requiescat in îace.

SHUMAN, Jacob A., was born in Manor township, Lan-

caster county, in the year 181-1:. Losing his parents at an

early age, he hired himself out for a short time to work upona farm, but at the age of fourteen he apprenticed himself to

learn the coopering business with one of his uncles. Uponthe expiration of his term of apprenticeship, being but seven-

teen years of age, he started on a trip to the west, footing it

over the Alleghenies to Pittsburg. He stopped a short time

in that city and worked at his trade. From that place he

proceeded to Cincinnati. Arriving there at a time whenthe cholera was raging, he had a severe attack of this disease

and barely escaped with his life. After an absence of two

years, he returned to his native home and began work at his

trade for his old master. About this time an event occurred

which proved the turning point in his career. A cousin of

his own, who was engaged in teaching school, died after a

short illness. During his cousin's illness, iad at his re-

quest, Mr. Shuman took charge of his school, and after his


death, at the request of the citizens of the district, he con-

tinued the school. His career in teaching was from that

time up to 1845, almost continuous; all his leisure, how-

ever, was devoted to study. In 184:4-45 he was nominated

and elected by the Whig party of his native county, as a

member of the Legislature. He proved himself in this

position a creditable representative, was watchful of the in-

terests of his constituents, and merited their approbation and

esteem. After the expiration of his term of services in the

House of Eepresentatives, he continued teaching and also

engaged in agricultural pursuits. About 1850 he aban-

doned teaching entirely, and now devoted his whole atten-

tion to farming. In 1854 he was elected a member of the

Senate of Pennsylvania. As a senator, he was modest and

unassuming, and rarely obtruded himself upon the attention

of the Senate unless a question was pending that immedi-

ately affected the interests of his constituents.

*SLAYMAKER FAMILY. Mathias Slaymaker, (origi-

nally in German Schleiermacher,) the ancestor of the family

in this county, was a native of Strasburg, Germany, and

emigrated to this country about the year 1710. He and his

family settled on a tract of about 1,000 acres, known as the

"London Lands," situated in Strasburg, now Paradise town-

ship, which he purchased from a comijany called the " Lon-

don Company," and built a log house or cabin close to a

large spring on the farm, and near the residence of the late

Wm. Eckert, in said Paradise township; a large portion of

the said 1,000 acre tract being still in the name. He left

two brothers in Germany, one of whom, a clergyman, was

Secretary of Legation from his government to the Court of

St. James ; afterwards Charge d'Affaires to the same place.

The other was a major in the King of Prussia's tall regiment.

Matthias Slaymaker had an excellent German education, and

in person was remarkable for his almost gigantic stature

and great strength, as were also his sons, which qualities

in those primitive times commended them to their neigh-

bors, and won the respect of the Indians, who were then numer-

ous in the neighborhood. He gave the name to Stras-

*Contributed by Nathaniel E. Slaymaker, esq.


burg township, and contributed greatly towards the perma-

nent settlement and improvement of the county, which was

then " back-woods," and inhabited by Indian tribes. Hedied at an advanced age, and lies buried at the old Leacock

Presbyterian church, in Leacock township, which has been

the burying-ground of almost all his numerous descendants

for six generations. He left five sons, Lawrence, Matthias,

John, Henry and Daniel ; and two daughters, Margaret and

Barbara.

Lawrence Slaymaker joined a company of pioneers

going west, and was not afterwards heard from.

Matthias Slaymaker purchased that portion of the

aforesaid 1,000 acre tract, belonging at present to his great-

grandsons, Jno. M. Slaymaker and Nathaniel E. Slaymaker,

esq., the latter at present and for many years past secretary

and treasurer of the Lancaster County Mutual Insurance

Company.

Daniel Slayjiaker and his descendants o.vucJ ihc land

now belonging to Uriah, Keziah and Levina Eckert.

John Slaymaker, one of said sons, and father of the late

Capt. Jno. Slaymaker, of Paradise township, was a soldier

in Braddock's army at the age of twenty-two years, and took

part in the disastrous battle of Braddock's field. He was

also captain of a company in the Eevolutionary war, and

after his return home was chosen county commissioner,

which ended his public service. He died in 1798, aged 65

years.

Henry Slaymaker, another of said sons, was an active

and conspicuous Whig during the Eevolutionary war, being

among the first in the neighborhood to take his stand with

the Eepublic. Being a magistrate at the time, he adminis-

tered the oath of allegiance to those who espoused the cause,

and was prompt in suppressing any efforts on the part of the

Tories at insurrection, and in punishing them for furnishing

the British army horses and provisions. After Mr. Hubley-' became incapable of trying causes, Henry Slaymaker, being

then the oldest justice in the county, was appointed principal

judge of the courts of Lancaster county, and presided one

year. He assisted in clearing the ground on which the old

37


jail in Lancaster was erected, and the present site of Fulton

Hall; and was a delegate to the convention for framing a

constitution of the State of Pennsylvania, which met at

Philadelphia, July 15th, 1776.

Amos Slaymaker, a son of Henry, also served in the

Revolutionary war as ensign of the company commanded by

iis uncle, Captain John Slaymaker, before mentioned, and

•was a member of an association for sui^pressing the Tories in

the eastern end of the county, at the head of which was Col-

'onel James Mercer. He was a magistrate for many years

;

county commissioner in the year 1800; a member of the

House of Eepresentatives in 1810-11 ; and afterwards of the

Senate of Pennsylvania from 1806 until 1810; and a mem-.ber of Congress of the United States from 1814 until 1815,

-at which time he, with a number of others, lent their credit

4o the government, by endorsing for it when in financial dif&-

culties. He and his two brothers, Henry and Samuel, were

proprietors of the great stage line of Reeside, Slaymaker &Co., from Philadelphia to the west, before the time of rail-

roads. He died in 1835, aged 85 years. He left six sons

and four daughters ; one of his sons, Jasper, was a leading

member of the Lancaster bar, and the first prosecuting

attorney of the Mayor's court. He also served two years in

ithe State Legislature 1816-17 and 1817-18, and died at the

age of 39 years.

Jonathan S. Slaymaker, a son of Samuel R. Slaymaker,

late of York county. Pa., and grand-nephew of Amos Slay-

maker, before mentioned, was captain of a company in the

2d Iowa regiment in the late civil war, and was killed at

the taking of Fort Donelson, where he showed exemplary

bravery.

SLOKOM, Samuel, was elected commissioner of Lancas-

ter county in 1865. He has acted for many years as justice

of the peace of the county. The following is from the pen

of one knowing Mr. Slokom for years :" Samuel Slokom

is a man of strong practical sense, and as a business man has

few superiors. He possesses great force of character and

wonderful energy, and is an untiring worker in whatever he

undertakes. His judgment in matters of every-day life is


greatly superior to the average of men, and is so recognized

an-.ong those who know him. He is strong in his likes and

dislikes ; is a warm and devoted friend, and a bitter enemy.

"Without any brilliant talents, or superior cultivation, he is

a gentleman of unusual intelligence and ability. His intui-

tive knowledge of human nature is one of the most marked

features of his character, and has, no doubt, been an im-

portant agency in his career."

SLOKOM, Thomas, son of Isaac Slokom, was born in

Virginia, and removed to Lancaster county about the year

1798. The ancestors of Isaac Slokom were amongst the

first settlers of the Wyoming valley, but removed thence to

Virginia, prior to the Indian massacre in that colony.

Thomas Slokom married a descendant of Jacob Miller, of

Strasburg township.' He was an enterprising and useful

man in his day and generation. He erected the " Ked Lion

Hotel," in Sadsbury township, and made many other useful

and valuable improvements. He was the father of Samuel

Slokom, late commissioner of Lancaster county.

SLOUGH, Mathias, was an active Whig of the borough

of Lancaster, about the period of the Eevolution. He was

an innkeeper, and kept tavern at the southeast corner of

Centre Square. The house, when kept by Slough, was

erected of what were called "saw-bucks," or cross-pieces,

and the interstices were filled with bricks. He was a manof considerable worth, and had sufiicient taste in that early

day to give his family a good education. His daughter

Fanny, was an accomplished pianist, and her sweet music

often attracted crowds in the evenings to listen to the har-

monious melody of her strains. One of her favorite pieces

was " The Eose Tree in Full Bloom." In that day there were

but few pianos in Lancaster. Mathias Slough was coroner

in 1763, and it was he who held the inquest upon the bodies

of the Conestoga Indians, killed by the Paxton boys. He' Jacob Miller -n'as born in the year 1CG3, and emigrated to Pennsyl-

vania, and jjurchased a large tract of land in Pequea valley (now Stras-

burg townshii)!. The Tvarrant bears date October 10th, 1710. Jacob

MiUer's son Samuel, was the first child bora in the Swiss colony. HenryMiller, one of the descendants of Jacob MiUer, was a member of the

convention that framed the constitution of Peimsylvania.


was in 1776 appointed, by the assembly of Pennsylvania,

general agent for the province of Pennsylvania, to provide

the necessary clothing and accoutrements for the troops

ordered to be raised for the service of the province. He also

had command of a Lancaster battalion in the years 1776-7.

He was a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature during

the years 1774, 1775, 1777, 1780, 1781, 1782 and 1783.

SMILIE, JoHX, was a native of Ireland, and came to

America when a young man, shortly before the outbreak of

the Eevolution, but in what year we cannot ascertain. Hesettled in Lancaster county. Pa., and at once espoused the

cause of American liberty. He rapidly acquired the confi-

dence of his co-patriots, and soon became a leader in the re-

sistance which they resolved and executed against the tyran-

nies of the King and Parliament. Being one of the committee

of safety of Lancaster county, we find him in June, 1776, a

member of the Provincial Conference of county committees

of Pennsylvania at Philadeljshia, which declared formally the

sundering of the ties which hitherto bound the colony to the

parent power, by resolving "to form a new government for

this province, ujjon the authority of the people only." This

conference called and provided for the convention which

framed our first State constitutioii—that of 1776. In 1778,

and again in 1779, he was elected one of the representatives

of Lancaster county in the Assembly, of which he was an

active and useful member.

Having married Miss Janet Porter, a daughter, we believe,

of Col. Thomas Porter, a distinguished citizen of Lancaster

county, he was induced in 1780, to seek a home in the west

for his rising family. In that or the subsequent year, he

removed to Fayette, then Westmoreland county; and after

looking round for a time, eventually bought an improvement

from old Joseph Huston, on the north side of the Youghriver, about five miles below Connellsville, where he settled

and where he henceforth resided until his death. He perfect-

ed his title to the tract—about -±00 acres—in 1786.

Mr. Smilie's energies and good sense soon gave him promi-

nence in Fayette county. In 1784 he became the first

elected member of the Assembly from Fayette county, and

OF LAXCASTEE COUNTY. 5il

was reelected in 1785. In 1789 Mr. Smilie was, with Albert

Gallatin, chosen to represent Fayette county in the State con-

vention which framed the Constitution of 1790. In 1790

Mr. Smilie and John Hoge, of Washington, were elected the

first State Senators from the district composed of Fayette

and Washington counties. The term for which he was elect-

ed was four years ; but having in 1792 been elected to the

third Congress of the United States, which was to meet in

December, 1793, he resigned the last year of the Senatorial

term. In 1798 Mr. Smilie was again elected to Congress. In

1801 Fayette and Greene were made the Ninth district, from

which Mr. Smilie was successfully returned in 1802, 1804,

1806, 1808, 1810 and 1812. He died in the city of Wash-

ington while attending the second session of the twelfth

Congress, on the 29th of December, 1812, and was on the

Slst interred with the customary honors, in the Congressional

Cemetery, where his remains yet repose, designated by one

of the uniform monuments which Congress erects to deceased

members, even though their bodies be removed.

SMITH, AsRAHAif Here, was born in Manor township,

Lancaster county. His maternal grandfather, AbrahamHerr, was the father of Benjamin Ilerr, familiarly known as

" the Kmg of the Manor." His father, Jacob Smith, was an

ingenious millwright, and erected a number of flouring mills

in Lancaster and York counties. He died in the year 1819.

The ancestors of our subject, on both sides, came from Ger-

many, on the Rhine, at the time of the Mylin and Herr emi-

gration in 1710. They early became members of the Meth-

odist church. Our subject received the early rudiments of

his education at Litiz, under Professor Beck; next attended

Haddington college, near Philadelphia, and graduated at

Dickinson college, Carlisle, in the year 1840. He immedi-

ately began the study of law in the ofi&ce of John E. Mont-

gomery, and was admitted to the bar October 10th, 1842.

He at once began the practice of his profession, and soon

succeeded in establishing himself in a remunerative prac-

tice, which steadily increased until it has become one of the

most lucrative in Lancaster county.

In 1843 he was elected to the Legislature of Pennsylva-

54:2 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

nia, and reelected in the following year. During his service

, in that body, he was the author of the bill providing for the

payment of the interest on the State debt, a measure at the

time essentially necessary to preserve the credit of the com-

monwealth. For two years preceding this time, the State

instead of paying the interest upon her bonds, had issued

certificates bearing interest, called " domestic credit scrip."

'

This policy of compounding the debt, he deemed ruinous to

the public credit, as the effect of it had been the sinking of

the value of the bonds to 33 cents on the dollar, and repudi-

ation had been openly advocated upon the floor of the House

of Eepresentatives. When the bill came up for passage,

Mr. Smith being asked by his colleagues whether he would

vote for it, and replying in the affimative, added : "7« it not

right .?" "Certainly," they replied, "but it will be very unpop-

ular, and will ruin any man who will vote for it." Mr.

Smith then remarked that he " would vote for it, and have

nothing to do with consequences." Accordingly he warmly

advocated the bill, and it became a law, and from that time

the interest on the bonds was promptly met, the bonds rose

to par, and are now selling above that, and have been for

years. He also advocated the sale of the public works,

which also became a law. It was he who introduced the bill

for the abolition of the Mayor's court,^ which, after being

vetoed by the Governor 'several times, was finally passed and

received executive sanction. He favored the abolition of

this court, deeming it a useless expense upon the county

;

and the business transacted in it has, since its abolition, been

'The Mayor's court was composed of the aldermen of the city of Lan-

caster and a Recorder appointed by tlie Governor, who presided as presi-

dent of the court. Tliejury for the trial of causes was selected from the

citizens of Lancaster city, an'd a district attorney appointed by the

Governor, who prosecuted the pleas of the city. There were twelve

jurors empauneled for the trial of each case. There were also a grand

jury. The 5Layor"s court held quarterly sessions, the same as the

Quarter Sessions, and had criminal jurisdiction over all cases occcuring

within the city, except the highest grade of felonies. The expenses 'of

this court were borne by the county, except the salary of the recorder,

which came from the State treasury. His salary was •^600. George M."

Kline, esq., at present one of the ablest lawyers of the Lancaster bar-,

was at one lime district attorney of the Mayor's com-t.

OF LANCASTER' COUNTY. 543

more conveniently disposed of in the -court of Quarter Ses-

sions. Mr. Smith also refused to sanction the renewal of i

the district court ' when it had expired by limitation, and

this was also abolished.

In 1845 he was elected to the State Senate, serving one

term therein. Whilst a member of this body he favored the

enactment of the married woman's act, passed in 1848. Healso favored the passage of the law which made the commonschool sj'stem obligatory upon the districts of the county,

and doing away with the triennial election, which permitted

the voters of every district to accept or reject the system

every three years. He regarded this as one of the defects

of the school system, which required to be changed. He was

ever strongly devoted to rigid economy and governmental

reforms, wherever the same could be effected ; was a steady

and faithful attendant at his post of duty, (scarcely an hour

absent during the whole period of his service); and with

patient attention and scrupulous fidelity watched the inter-

ests of his constituents. Since the close of his legislative

career, he has sedulously devoted himself to the practice of

his profession. In politics he is devoted to the principles of

the Republican party, and was an abolitionist in sentiment

long before the consolidation of the anti-slavery elements

into that organization. As a student at Haddington college,

he wrote an address for exhibition exercises so strongly anti-

slavery, that the faculty declined to permit its delivery.

As a lawyer he is well read in his profession, and is very

successful in the trial of his cases in the courts below, and

also in the supreme court. In short, he ranks amongst the

ablest in his profession.^ Besides, he is altogether conscien-

tious in his professional career, and will decline a case unless

his support of it can be based upon the broad principles of

justice.

' The district court was a court of concurrent jurisdiction with the

common pleas, over wliich one judge alone presided.

2 It should not be forgotten that in the Biographical History of Lan-

caster County the sketches have chiefly been confined to individuals who-

have filled certain official positions; and as regards such as came thus,

within the programme, they have in a few cases been spoken of as their

deserts seemed, in the author's opinion, to merit. In very few instanceSj.


SMITH, Chaeles, was a leading member of tlie Lan-

caster bar in bis day, and was admitted in 1787. He was an

ardent Federalist and a bitter opponent of tbe Republican

principles of Jeflerson. He was elected a member of the

Legislature in the years 1806, 1807 and 1808. In 1816 he

was elected to the State Senate of Pennsylvania. In his

legislative capacity he ranked amongst the ablest men in the

Senate and House of Eepresentatives and bore a conspicuous

part in the proceedings of the Legislature. He was appointed

to and served as president judge of the ninth judicial district.

He resigned this position in 1820, and accepted the president

judgeship of the district court of the city and county of Lan-

caster. He married a daughter of Judge Jasper Yeates, of

the Supreme Court. He was the builder of the residence

near Lancaster, known as Hardwicke.

SMITH, E. K., was elected a meu.ber of the Legislature in

the year 1863. He is a banker of Columbia.

SMITH, Frederick, was elected Sheriff of Lancaster

county in 1863.

*SMITH, John Blair, the fourth sou of the Rev. Robert

Smith, was born at Pequea, Lancaster county, Pa., June 12th,

1756. In very early life he evinced a great thirst for know-

ledge, and an uncommon facility for acquiring it. At the

age of sixteen he was admitted to the junior class in Prince-

ton college. New Jersey, and graduated under the presidency

of the distinguished Dr. Witherspoon in 1773. He was one

however, was this attempted, and but of those of whom personal know-

ledge enabled him to foi-m an estimate. In the bulk of cases he ;felt

himself incompetent for this task, and left the sketches with a simi)le

statement of facts. In the treatment of those so sketched, as ak'eady

stated, it is not intended to unjustly elevate them over and above others

equally worthy, who find no place in the history, but simply to express

the tiTitb, as near as may be, concerning the person so delineated.

There are able members of the jirofessions, and other intellectual menof whom no biographies apjjear in the work, inasmuch as they have

never filled such official positions as brought them within the category

of characters originally proposed to be sketched. All desei-ving a place

in the history of the county could not be treated in a six-hundred iâge

octavo, and no safer line of demarcation seemed feasible than that of

ofiBcial designation.

*Sprague!s Annals of the American Pulpit, vol. 3.

OF LANCASTER COUXTT. 5i5

of a class of twenty-nine, fourteen of whom became Minis-

ters of the Gospel, and three. Governors of States. His elder

brother, Samuel Stanhope Smith, having become the head

of .the rising institution in Prince Edward county, Ya., un-

der the care of the presbytery of Hanover, the subject of

this notice went, at his suggestion,, in the early part of

1776, to join his brother as an assistant teacher, and at the

same time to prosecute his theological studies under his in-

struction. Having gone through his several trials, he was

licensed to preach by the Hanover Presbytery on the 29th

of April, 1778. He was ordained at Prince Edward Court

House, on the 28th of October, 1779. At the same meeting

of the Hanover jjresbytery, his brother having received an

invitation to the chair of moral philosophy in Princeton

college, New Jersey, asked leave to resign the presidency of

Hampden Sydney college, and also his pastoral charge;

both of which requests were granted. John Blair Smith was

immediately chosen to succeed him as president of the col-

lege; and in the following spring, he also became his suc-

cessor in the pastoral of&ce. About this time Mr. Smith

married a daughter of Colonel John Nash, of Prince Edwardcounty, a lady distinguished alike for her accomplishments

and piety. When Mr. Smith first entered the pulpit, he at-

tracted much attention, yet he was by no means so popular

as his brother who had preceded him ; but before he left the

State, he is said to have been more attractive and powerful

than any other clergyman of Yirgiuia from the time of

Samuel Davies. The times in which he began his services in

Virginia, were anything but favorable to the progress of re-

ligion and high spiritual attainment. The State, and that

very part of it, had been invaded by the British ; and the

minds of the people were occupied chiefly about their ownsafety and their country's independence. Mr. Smith was an

earnest patriot, and withal, was a man of great activity and

courage. The college suffered much in consequence of the

war. Its resources were exhausted ; and the youth that had

been pursuing their education, were in the service of their

country.

After the ratification of peace it was some time before


religion and literature began to revive. About tliis time the

Methodists began to pass through the country, and their

preaching had the effect of winning many from the ranks of

the Presbyterians. In ]7S6 or 17S7 they came within the

bounds of Mr. Smith's congregations, and he himself seemed

henceforth to become imbued with their zeal and ardor in

the gospel, and a fresh impulse was given to his religious

feelings and ministrations. He began preaching with a vigor

and enthusiasm that 'soon produced visible effects. Anextensive revival of religion ensued, which spread through

the college and the whole adjacent country. Mr. Smith

entered into the work with such glowing zeal, and his

preaching was so powerful that he was continually solicited

to extend his labors, and to places more and more remote

from his residence. Some of his friends began to think that

he was less attentive to the concerns of the college than

could be desired ; and this was the more felt as the institu-

tion, being without funds, was required to depend for its

support on the fees of the students. Feeling it his first duty

to preach the gospel, and perceiving that he could not give

that attention to the college that was required, he determined

to resign the office of president of the institution, and give

himself wholly to the work of the ministry. This resolution

he carried into effect in the year 1789, and at the same time

he bought a farm in the neighborhood and retired to it.

Tn April, 1791, he was appointed by his presbytery one of

the commissioners to attend the general assembly in Phila-

delphia. During the meeting of the assembly he was invited

to preach in th? Third or Pine Street Presbyterian church,

which was then vacant and looking out for a pastor. Soacceptable was his preaching, that the congregation were

called together, and a unanimous call was extended to him

before he left the city, which he conditionally agreed to accept.

"When this became known to his Virginia congregations,

they were greatly distressed, and did all in their power to

divert him from his purpose. He felt, however, that his

removal would add to the sphere of his usefulness, and he

resigned his pastoral charge and removed to Philadelphia in

the autumn following, and was installed over his new charge


in December. In 1795 the degree of Doctor of Divinity was

conferred upon him by his Alma Mater. In the same year

Union college, at Schenectady, New York, was founded, and

Dr. Smith chosen its president. He accepted the appointmen-t,

and for three years presided over the infant institution with

great credit and success. He then returned to his former

charge in Philadelphia, and was formally reinstated amongthem in May, 1799. The following extract from a letter

written by him to Major Morton, of Prince Edward county,

Va., discloses the reason of his last change :" I suppose that

my return to my former charge in Philadelphia, will excite

some surprise among my friends. However, it can be ex-

plained upon a very natural principle, without ascribing it

to fickleness of mind. It is simply because I prefer being

pastor of a congregation, before being president of a college;

and I think myself better qualified for the former than the

latter ; and because I have regained that health and strength,

the want of which only prevented me from stajdng in Phil-

adelphia when I was there. It is true that I shall run a

great risk, in the present circumstances and prospects of

the city; but it is equally, true that my post would have

been there, and I should have had my chance with the

other citizens, if the want of health had not compelled me to

remove." " the Trustees of the college have accepted myresignation in a manner very respectful to me, and have

directed that my portrait be taken and preserved in their

hall. They insist upon my staying till after the commence-

ment, next May, though I wish to go about the beginning of

April." On his return to Philadelphia he was cordially

greeted, not only by his own congregation, but by a large

part of the intelligent people of the city. Their joy was des-

tined soon to be turned into mourning. About the middle

of August he was attacked with the yellow fever, and died

on the 22d of the same month, one of the fii'st victims of

that terrible pestilence.'

When the constitution of the United States was submitted to the

consideration of the people, Patrick Heni'y, the great orator of the Rev-

olution, offered himself as a candidate for representative of Prince

Edward county, in the State convention ; and he appointed a day to

meet the people of the county at the Court House, to show the defects


SMITH, Eev. Sampson, a native of Scotland, who emi-

grated to Lancaster county before the Revolution. He was

pastor of the Presbyterian church, at Chestnut Level, and

also taught an academy for many years. He was struck bylightning while sitting by his window engaged in reading the

bible, and instantly killed.

SMITH, Samuel, was a member of the Legislature in the


*SMITH, Samuel Stanhope, D.D., L.L.D., was born

March 16th, 1750, at Pequea, Lancaster county, Penna.

His father was the Rev. Robert Smith, a distinguished clergy-

man of the Presbyterian church, who emigrated from Ireland

and established, and for many years superintended, an

Academy, which supplied many able and excellent ministers

to the denomination with which he was connected. His

mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Blair, and sister

of Samuel and John Blair, all of whom were among the most

prominent clergymen of their day. The son, at a very early

period, gave indications of possessing a mind of no com-

mon order, and the parents determined to give him the best

advantages within their reach for cultivating it. When quite

young he began the study of the languages in his father's

school, and as his father had employed some of the most

of the constitution, and the grounds on -n-hich he opposed it. Dr. Smith,

who was a great friend of the constitution, had made his arrangements

to he present at the meeting, and defend it against his attaclis; but be-

ing called away at that hour to visit a sick friend, he employed a mau to

take down Mr. Hem-y's speech in shoi-t-hand, for his (Dr. Smith's) bene-

fit. Within a week or two from that time, there was to be a public

exhibition in college hall—an occasion always sure to draw together a

large assembly. When the day arrived Patrick Hem-y, who lived in

the neighborhood, came with the rest, little dreaming of the rod that

had been prepared for him. One of the best speakers among the students

came forward upon the stage and delivered Henry's phillipic against the

constitution, almost exactly as he had delivered it at the Court House.

Another immediately followed with a speech prejjared by Dr. Smith, in

which he had p-iutall his energies in defense of the constitution. There

was no intimation given that the two speeches were not written by the

individuals who pronounced them. Hemy was not a little annoyed by

the procedure, and at the close of the exercise gave Dr. Smith to under-

stand, in no equivocal terms, that he felt that an uufau- advantage had

*Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit, vol. iii.

OF la:^j-caster county. 5i9

accomplished teachers from abroad as his assistants, there

was perhaps no school in the country, at that day, that fur-

nished better advantages for becoming thoroughly grounded,

especially in the classics. The only language allowed to be

spoken in the school-room, was Latin, and whoever uttered

a word in the mother tongue, was marked as a delinquent.

Young Smith made the best of his opportunities, and was

distinguished for his improvement in every branch to which

he directed his attention. In his sixteenth year he was

sent to Princeton college, entering the junior class, in

which he immediately took rank amongst the best scholars.

Shortly afterwards Dr. Witherspoon arrived from Scotland,

and assumed the presidential chair of the institution, while

the subject of our notice was an undergraduate. Before he

had completed his eighteenth year he had received the degree

of bachelor of arts, under circumstances the most honorable

to his talents and acquirements, and the most gratifying to

his ambition. During his collegiate career Mr. Smith came

near making shipwreck of his religious principles, in conse-

quence of his intimacy with Mr. Periam, the senior tutor,

who had embraced Bishop Berkley's theory, denying the

existence of matter. He became for a time an enthusiastic

advocate of these opinions, insomuch that his friends began

to have the most serious apprehensions that he had becomea permanent accepter of the idealistic theory. When, how-

been taken of him. Dr. Smith contended that he liad no cause of com-plaint, unless his speech had been unfairly represented; and in that case

he declared himself ready to make any amends in his power. Hemysaid that was not the ground of his complaint; for the young man cer-

tainly had taken his speech dovnx with great accuracy; but he thoughtit was indelicate and improper that he should lie placed in such circum-

stances before the audience, without any intimation having previously

been given of w hat was Intended. Dr. Smith replied that Colonel Henryknew it was his intention to have replied to him, when he spoke at the

Court House, but was providentially prevented; that he had then spokenfor public effect, and his speech became public property; that all that hecould reasonably require was, that it should be fairly reported; and if

that had been done, he could not see that he had any just reason for

complaint. Henry, however, was not at all satisfied, broke off all inter-

coui'se with him from that time, and would never hear him preach after-

wards, though he had previously been one of his constant hearers.

—

Letter of Bee. William Hill.


ever, Dr. Witherspoon arrived from Scotland, he brought

with him the works of several distinguished Scottish philo-

sophical writers, particularly Reid and Seattle, the influence

of which was quickly perceptible in bringing back this

gifted young man into the regions of common sense.

After taking his degree at Princeton, he returned to his

father's house, and spent some time partly in assisting himin conducting his school, and partly in vigorous efforts for

the higher cultivation of his own mind. He read the finest

models in polite literature and the most accredited authors

in intellectual and moral philosophy. He also occasionally

tried his hand at writing poetry, but he was not much flat-

tered by the result of his efforts ; and he seems to have

abandoned his devotion to the muses on the ground that

"poeta nascitur non filT He had not been long in this newsphere of labor before he was invited to return to Princeton

as a tutor in the college, esjjecially in the department of the

classics and belles letters. This position he accepted

and filled from 1770 till 1773, discharging his duties in con-

nection with the institution with exemplary fidelity and great

acceptance, and all the while he was pursuing a course of

theological study in reference to the ministry. About the

close of his tutorship he was licensed to preach by the pres-

bytery of New Castle. As his health had suffered not a

little from severe afiiiction he' determined, previous to

assuming the resjionsibility of a stated charge, to spend some

time as a missionary in the western counties of Virginia.

When he reached that part of the country, he received a

most cordial welcome from many Irish Presbyterians whohad settled in that section. It was not long till his capti-

vating oratory and exemplary deportment rendered him an

almost universal favorite. Persons without distinction of

sect or of rank, flocked to hear him ; and those who had

been entranced by the eloquence of Davies, seemed to feel

as if another Davies had arisen. So powerful an impression

did he make, that some of the most wealthy and influential

persons soon set on foot a project for detaining him there as

the head of a literary institution, and in a short time the

funds requisite for establishing such an institution were sub-

OF LAXCASTEE COUXTY. 551

scribed. The necessary buildings were erected, and the

seminary was subsecjuently chartered by the Legislature

under the name of Hampden Sydney college. The new

college being at length nearly ready to commence its opera-

tions, he returned to the North and formed a matrimonial

alliance with the eldest daughter of Dr. Witherspoon. Hethen returned to Virginia and took upon himself the double

office of principal of the seminary and pastor of the church

;

and the duties of each he discharged in such a manner as to

folfill the highest expectations that had been formed con-

cerning him. But the new labors were more than his con-

stitution could endure;and after three or four years, a slight

bleeding at the lungs admonished him to take at least a

temporary respite from his burdens. By the advice of

friends he resorted to the watering place among the west-

ern mountains, then acquiring considerable celebrity under

the name of the "Sweet Springs." A residence at this place

for a few weeks caused the unfavorable symptoms in a great

measure to disappear, so that he returned to his family with

his health in a good degree renovated.

At this period (1799), he was invited to the chair of moral

philosophy, at Princeton ; and notwithstanding his strong

attachment to the infant seminary in Virginia, (of which he

might be considered the founder), the prospect of a more

'

extended sphere of usefulness in connection with his AlmaMater, induced him to accept the appointment. Upon his arri-

val at Princeton, however, a most unpromising state of things

presented itself. The college itself was in ruins, in conse-

quence of the uses and abuses to which it had been subjected

by both the British and American soldiers, during the pre-

vious years of the Eevolutionary war. The students were

dispersed and all its operations had ceased. Mainly by the

energy, wisdom, and general self-devotion of Mr. Smith, the

college was speedily reorganized and all its usual exercises

resumed. For several yeaj's Dr. Witherspoon, though re-

taining the ofB.ce of president, was engaged as a member of

Congress in the higher affairs of the nation. Owing to the

fact that Dr. Witherspoon some years afterwards became, in

a great measure, disqualified for the duties of the office of


president, being affected with total blindness and many other

bodily infirmities, the great weight of care as to the manage-

ment of the institution devolved upon the subject of this

notice; and it is not too much to say, that it was indebted

for no small degree of its prosperity to the increasing vigi-

lance, the earnest efforts and the distinguished ability of

Mr. Smith. In 1783 he was honored with the degree of

Doctor of Divinity from Yale college; and in 1810 the de-

gree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon him by HowardUniversity. In 1785 Dr. Smith was elected an honorary

member of the American Philosophical Society, in Philadel-

phia—an institution distinguished not only for being the

first of its kind, in the order of time in the country, but for

numbering among its members many of the most brilliant,

profound and erudite minds of which the country could

boast. The same year he was appointed to deliver their

anniversary address ; and he met the occasion in a manner

which of itself would have conferred lasting honor upon his

name. The object of the address was to explain the causes

of the variety in the figure and complexion of the human

species, and to establish the identity of the race. It was

published in the "Transactions" of the society, and was sub-

sequently published in an enlarged and improved form in a

separate volume. With this work his reputation as a phi-

losopher, both at home and abroad, is in no small degree

identified. In 1786 he was associated with several of the

most distinguished and venerable men in the Presbyterian

church, such as Witherspoon, McWhorter, Allison, Ewing,

kc, in preparing the form of presbyterial government, which

continues to the present time. His comprehensive views,

and intimate acquaintance with all the forms of ecclesiastical

procedure, eminently qualified him for the important service.

Upon the death of Dr. Witherspoon in 179-4, Dr. Smith

succeeded to the honors and full responsibilities of the of&ce

which his death had vacated. Besides being highly popular

as the head of the institution, he had now acquired a reputa-

tion as a pulpit orator which rendered it an object for many,

even from remote parts of the country, to listen to his

preaching. His baccalaureate discourses particularly, which


were addressed to the senior class, on the Sabbath immedi-

ately preceding their graduation, were always of the highest

order, and it was not uncommon for persons to go even from

New York and Philadelphia to" listen to them. One of his

most splendid performances was his oration delivered at

Trenton, on the death of Washington ; the occasion roused

his faculties to the utmost, and the result was a production

of great beauty and power. In 1779 he published a volume

of sermons, which were regarded as an important contribu-

tion to that department of our country's literature. They

are characterized rather by general than particular views of

evangelical truth, by a correct, elevated, and perhaps some-

what elaborate style, by occasional bold and eloquent apostro-

phes, and by many stirring appeals to the heart and con-

science. In the spring of 1802, when the institution was at

the full tide of its prosperity, the college edifice was burnt,

together with the libraries, furniture and fixtures of every

description. Indeed, all was gone except the charter, the

grounds, and the naked walls of brick and stone, together

with the exalted character of the seminary and the com-

manding reputation of its president. After the first stunning

effect of the calamity was over, it was the general sentiment

of all, that the necessary funds must be raised to rebuild the

edifice and sustain the institution. Dr. Smith made a col-

lecting tour through the southern States, and returned in

the following spring with about one hundred thousand dol-

lars, which, with liberal collections made in other parts of

the Union, enabled him to accomplish vastly more than he

had ventured to anticipate. This was his crowning achieve-

ment. He had won new honors, and gained many newfriends. The college was popular and prosperous, and

numbered two hundred students. New buildings were soon

erected, and several new professors were added to the faculty.

From this period Dr. Smith bent all his energies towards the

management of the institution, and it continued year by year

to rise in public estimation. But the advance of bodily infirmi-

ties were making visible progress in the case of the distin-

guished head of the college; and in the year 1S12, in conse

quence of repeated strokes of palsy, he became too much38


enfeebled to discharge any longer the duties of his office. He,

therefore, at the next commencement, tendered his resignation

as president, and retired to a place which the board of trustees

provided for him, and there spent the remainder of his life.

For several years he occupied himself in revising and pre-

paring for the press some of his works, but at length disease

had made such havoc with his constitution, that he was

scarcely capable of any mental labor. After a long course

of gradual and almost imperceptible decline, he died August

21st, 1819, in the 70th year of his age. His published works

are the following : An essay on the causes of the variety of

complexion and figure of the human species, to which are

added strictures on Lord Kaimes' discourse on the Original

Diversity of Mankind, 8vo., 1787. Sermons, 8vo., 1799.

Lectures on the Evidences of the Christian Eeligion, 12mo.,

1809. Lectures on Moral and Political Philosophy, 12mo.,

1812. A comprehensive view of the leading and most im-

portant principles of Natural and Eevealed Eeligion, 8vo.,

1816. Sermons, to which is prefixed a brief memoir of his

life and writings, 2 vols., 8vo., (posthumous,) 1821.

SPENCEE, William, a citizen of Strasburg' borough,

was elected County Commissioner in the year 1861.

SPEENGEE, J. J., a citizen of Lancaster, somewhat

reputed as an American traveler. In 1857 he visited and

traversed a large portion of Europe. In 1859 he was ap-

pointed consul at Dresden, and was afterwards transferred

to Venice, where he remained until 1862. He has traveled

over a large portion of America, and in 1871 made his third

trip to Europe, passing through England, France, Germany,

Switzerland, Belgium and Spain. In the winter of 1869-70

he lectured in many places on " Steaming across the Conti-

nent," and during the winter of 1871-72 on " Eeminiscences

of a tour through Spain and Portugal." Mr. Sprenger is a

man of an enterprising character, and endowed with con-

siderable intellectuality.

' When Dr. Joseph Priestly, the celebrated philosopher, first emigrated

from England to America, iu 1794, he settled and lived for a short time

in Strasburg, Lancaster county. He lived in the honse now owned by

William Spencer, ex-commissioner, for about six months. He removed

thence to Northumberland, Pa., where he lies buried.


STAUFFEE, Benjamin M., was elected Kegister of Wills

in 1854.

STAUFFER, Christian, elected County Commissioner

in 1813.

STAUFFER, Capt. Wm. D., is a native of Lancaster

county. Upon the breaking out of the rebellion he enlisted

as a private soldier in Co. B., first regiment Pennsylvania

Reserves, served all through the struggle, and was discharged

as captain of Co. H., 195th regiment Pennsylvania Reserves-

In 1869 he was elected Prothonotary of Lancaster county,

succeeding Col. Wm. L. Bear, who filled the same ofSce for

three years.

STAUFFER FAMILY. John Staufier and his brother

Jacob emigrated to America from Germany about the year

1740. They were mere boys, John being not more than 12

or 15 years old. They started from Philadelphia to Lan-

caster on foot. While traveling along they came up with a

farmer driving in a wagon. He, seeing that they were boys

and must be hungry, threw some bread, on the ground, which

the boys eagerly picked up and ate. When they arrived in

Lancaster they found the town to consist of only a few

houses. They then traveled to the neighborhood of Litiz,

where they lived until grown up, when John married a

daughter of John Martin Amweg. lie then settled about 3

miles north of Manheim, where he bought a mill on the Big

Chiques creek, at jDresent in the possesion of Moses Light.

When the Revolutionary war broke out he refused to take

up arms, having conscientious scruples, being a member of

the Mennonite church. The officers searched the mill for him

;

he, however, made his escape to the hills. They finally gave

up the chase and left. In 1778, on the 15th of Novem-ber, was born his son, Martin Stauffer, who is still living,

having just entered his 94th year, and is with his daughter,

Mrs. Henry Suavely.

STAUFFER, Jacob. The subject of this memoir was

born in Manheim, in the county of Lancaster, Pa., on the 30th

day of November, ISOS. He received a common country

school education, and was early put behind the counter byhis father, who kept both store and tavern, during his


minority. He manifested quite a taste for drawing and paint-

ing in bis youth, and great fondness for military display. Aretired graduate of "West Point, boarding with bis fatber^

took quite an interest in bira, and gave bim lessons; indeed,.

almost a regular "West Point course. Owing to this, Col.

Jacob Ilostetter appiointed bim adjutant, May, 1825, of tbe

IStb regimeni Pennsylvania militia. lie subsequently was

elected first major, and on tbe expiration of Col. Hostetter's

term, young as be was, be was almost unanimously elected

colonel, witbout an effort on bis part. After attaining tbe

age of twenty-one be left bis native village for Pbiladelpbia,

and made tbe acquaintance of tbe elder Sulley, Inman, and

otbers, artists and engravers, and took lessons in oil painting

and drawing. But, as bis fatber did not approve of his

course, and having no resources to sustain him while acquir-

ing proficiency as an artist, be got a clerkship, first in the

counting bouse of Mr. S. Eckstein, and afterwards in the

recording office of Philadelphia, during which time be took

to himself a wife. After spending a few years in Philadel-

phia, he removed to bis native village, where he opened a

store, and subsequently introduced tbe first printing press

in Manheim, adding a job office to his mercantile pursuit.

Having devoted much of his studies to medicine and botany,

he gradually sold off his stock of goods and entered more

especially into the drug business. He exchanged bis

Manheim property for one at what Avas then called " Eichland

crossroads," in 1840, now incorporated in tbe borough of

Mount Joy, at which place be also introduced the first printing

press, as well as a lithographic press, and the art of taking

daguerreotypes. These various pursuits were insufficient to

keep bim fully employed, so that he devoted much of his

time to botany and natural science. Ilis great love and facility

of illustrating plants, insects, &c., occupied much of bis time,

and it is surprising to behold tbe immense number of illus-

trations, many very life-like and admirably drawn and

colored, so that it is difficult to find a plant or insect that he

has not figured. lis was called on for writing agreements,

deeds, specifications, and to make drawings for his neighbors.

He was a useful member in tbe council and school board, as


well as iu the church and Sabbath school, during his stay at

Mt. Joy. He wrote quite a number of articles for various

monthlies, on subjects connected with agriculture, botany,

and entomology especially, embracing much original matter,

and generally well received and highly appreciated.

It was during one of his botanical rambles he made the

discovery of the parasitism of a certain plant known as the

Comandra xmibellatta, as also of several species of Gerardia,

being in frequent correspondence with Professor A. Gray, of

Harvard University. The Doctor published the result of

this discovery in Silliman's Journal, vol. xvi. No. 47, p. 250,

for Sept., 1853. He also received a highly complimentary

letter from Professor Joseph Henry, of the Smithsonian

Institute, with a donation of many valuable publications to

which he became entitled under' Mr. Smithson's will. Howas urged to publish his figures, with a descrip)tion, by

Prof. Gray. He accordingly set up the type in pamphlet

form, of his own manuscript, made the drawings on stone

and lithographed and printed the illustrations and letter

press, and stitched the same, without the aid of any Qther

party. Eev. Dr. Morris, of Baltimore, to whom a pamphlet

was sent, iu answer acknowledging its reception, observed

that "he knew of no other savaii except Mr. Sturm, of Nurem-

berg, who could write, set up, illustrate and print his ownwork." One of these pamphlets is on file in the Academy of

Natural Science of Philadelphia, of which he has for years

been a corresponding member. His oldest son started the

Mount Joy Herald, in 1851, assisted by him, in which there

are weekly articles on botany, illustrated by neat wood cut?,

drawn and engraved by himself, giving much valuable and

interesting information, drawn from an extensive library of

botanical works. He wound up his affairs at Mount Joy

and moved to Lancaster in the spring of 1858, devoting his

time more especially to the procuring of patents. As a

solicitor he was quite successful, and no doubt stimulated

the inventive faculties of many by the announcement of

patents procured through his aid.

During the first few years, he had his office in the library

rooms of the Lancaster Athenajum, of which he had the

558 BIOGEAPHICAL HISTOBY

charge, but this he was forced to abandon, as his business

increased to such a degree that he could but now and then

write articles for the press; yet, being called upon, he would

respond; so that to enumerate the monthlies and weeklies

in which his articles appeared, would form a lengthy list

;

suffice it to say, that without any pretensions, and too apt to

depreciate his own acquirements, his writings and illustra-

tions are a proof of his industry, as the number would seem

to require a lifetime alone to execute. In a letter from

Prof E. D. Cope, of Philadelphia, which came under the

observation of the writer, he says: "Thee would have been

encouraged in thy zoological studies, no doubt, in finding

the number of species thee has added to the fauna of Penn-

sylvania;" then follows a list of hard names, hardly edifying

if repeated. Very few of his most intimate friends have any

idea of the extent of his labors;yet, it is acknowledged by all

who know him, that he is well versed in almost every branch

of science ; and if a strange plant or insect is found, and a

name wanted for it, you are usually advised to "go to Stauffer,

he can tell you." His devotion to hunt and roam over the

hills, valleys, swamps and by-ways, in search of something

new, and when found, the habit of figuring it, of course, gave

him opportunities for acqiuring a fund of information during

a period of fifty years of study. On asking him why he

never published a book, his reply was, "I first wished to

know what I knew that was not known before," as a repeti-

tion of the old story was a species of drudgery for which

he had no taste, however cunningly he might disguise it

;

"besides, such books as some men compile are no' credit to

them. I have purchased such, and found nothing new and

no improvement on works previously written on the samesubject; this has admonished me to be cautious." It is to

be hoped that one of his sons will collect the numerous notes

and observations scattered in manuscript in connection with

his illustrations on various subjects, at no distant day.

Either of them would be qualified for the task ; his oldest

son is a distinguished writer, while the youngest is a dis-

tinguished civil engineer, and has in charge the bridge nowbeing built across the Schuylkill, South street, Philadelphia.

OP LAKCASTER COUNTY. 559

Mr. Stauffer has been three times married, and perhaps

there are few men who have been more affectionate and

devoted in their domestic relations. He is a man singularly

disinterested and morally pure, practically recognizing the

sanctity of the family union, as husband, father, instructor

and friend. Few men possess a greater versatility of talent,

and few have labored so long, so incessantly, and so little

influenced by the desire of pecuniary reward. Few have

been more willing to communicate what they know on any

subject, without compensation, even where it has cost him

much time and labor, and in many instances has drawn on

his own pecuniary means. He seems to have labored muchfrom a love of labor, and without seeming to be impressed

with the idea that he had accomplished anything of very

special merit. His ability to take up and adapt himself to

almost any branch of science and philosophy, has, perhaps,

produced that diversity which prevented the acquisition of

that marked distinction, which would have resulted in recom -

pense and fame in a special field. He seems to have lacked

that love of gain which leads men to concentrate their ener-

gies in a special channel, for the mere purpose of making it

'pay. Always a man of limited means, yet he was habitually

benevolent and liberal almost to a fault. When he de-

sired and felt that he needed a book or an instrument to assist

him in those studies and experiments to which his leisure

hours were devoted, he never denied himself or caviled at

prices, if the subject came within the limit of his pecuniary

abilities; hence, he never was to any considerable extent a

borrower, and accordingly has accumulated a large and

valuable library of books, maps, charts and manuscripts, for

a man in his circumstances. In common with frail humanity

he may commit errors of the head, but those most intimately

associated with him are loth to believe that he would wilfully

commit an error of the heart, or that his word is of less

value than his bond. Eeasonably affable and social in his

nature, he yet never was the man to obtrude himself where

he had rational ground to suspect his presence would not be

welcome or agreeable. Although peaceably and harmoni-

ously inclined, yet when aroused he had the moral and


physical courage to resist imposition; and in a tournament

with the pen he has the faculty of detecting exposed points,

and dealing effective thrusts, although it cannot be said that

he is habitually controversial. He is firm in his moral andreligious convictions, but not more firm than sincere, and

does not seem to be solicitous as to whether his views are in

strict accord with the most literal systems of popular ortho-

doxy, although he does not profess to be heterodox. He is

by no means a man of worldly aspirations, although not a

recluse, or indifferent about what is going on in the world.

He is one of the few men we find in society who are free

from those prejudices which are engendered and fostered byreligious, political and social clans, parties, sects and cliques

;

hence many of his warmest friendships are among those whodiffer with him radically in politics, religion and philosoiDhy.

Although he might tolerate on a civil plane, yet he could

never affiliate with the impure, the obscene, or the profane

;

or for the sake of pleasing men alone, forget his higher rela-

tions to his Creator.

STEACY, David G., Avas born in Bart' township, Lancas-

ter county, Pa., April 23d, 1824. His father, Benjamin

Steacy, emigrated from Ireland in the early part of the pres-

ent century, and settled in Bart township. He was a man in

humble circumstances, and raised a large family. He was

simply a laboring man, and his son, the subject of this notice,

'William JlcClure was boiu in Scotland in tlie year 1698, and emi-

grated to Lancaster county early in the last century, and was among the

earliest and most respectable settlers of Bart township. Ilis wife had

emigrated with her friends from Ireland in the year 1734, and first set-

tled at John Harris's Ferry on the Susquehanna, when Harris's

house constituted the town of Harrisburg; but she having fled from the

savages, finally settled in Lancaster county and was joined in marriage

with William McClure, who imrchased a large tract of land in Chester

valley, most of which was held by his descendants for nearly one 'hun-

dred years, and a part thereof is yet owned by one of his grandsons.

He had three sons, viz : William, John and Thomas. William and John

served in the army of the Revolution, and their team and wagon was

engaged in the public service ; one of them had his musket knocked

from his hands by a ball, and his hat i>erforated with one or more bul-

lets. After the war, they returned to their farms in the valley, where

they spent the i-emainder of their eventful lives. John resided near a

place called the Green Tree, and departed this life in the year 1838, aged


was obliged when but eighteen years of age to take charge

of the family affairs and manage the same. He soon entered

into speculative enterprises, having the favor of some menof capital and influence, which resulted in success. "When

young, he became noted for the interest he took in debating

societies, and he gained some notice as a debator. Healways took a lively interest in politics, first as an old line

Whig, and afterwards as a Eepublican, of which party he is

still a member. He has for many years stood amongst the

leaders of this party in the county. He has ever been a

great friend of the policy of American protection. In the

fall of 1867 he wâs elected a member of the Legislature, and

reelected again to a second term in 1868.

STEELE, Archibald, a brother of Gen. John Steele, was a

man ofgreat intrepidity and resolute daring. Upon the break-

ing out of the Revolution he and a man named Smith raised a

company in Lancaster county and marched to Boston,

where they were organized into a regiment and placed under

the command of Benedict Arnold. This "svas the regiment

that made the celebrated march through the wilderness of

Maine to Quebec, in the winter of 1775, which has ever

been remembered as one memorable in the annals of Ameri-ican history. During this march Archibald Steele had the

command of a party of men who were selected to go before

81 years, leaving six sons and one daughter, who are all living- at thepresent time, the .average of whose ages novs' exceeds V4 years. Thefamily and descendants of William McClure have ever been considered as

among the most highly respectable and influential members of the old

Octoraro church, in the township of Bart. He departed this life in the

year 1708, aged 70 years. His widow, wlio survived him for more thanli.alf a century, departed this life at the present residence of JosephJlcClure (her grandson), inlhe year 1S28, aged lOS years, 2 mouths and29 days. Their descendants are stiU numerous and respectable in the

neighborhood. Among their great-grandsons are Samuel, DavidThomas, Josejih, Robert Spencer and William McClure, of Bart • andalso Francis JlcClure, of Salisbury. Joseph McClure, who was elected

a member of the Legislature in the years 1840 and 18-11, is the youngest souof John SIcClure, and the grandson of William McClure, sr. He ownsand occupies the old homestead, near the Green Tree, in Bart, and is aworthy and leading member of the community in which he lives, and ofthe Associate Presbyterian church, of which the Rev. William Easton, ••

from Scotland, has been the pastor for more than 40 years.

39


the army and mark out the roads and crossing places; and

on the arrival of the army at the St. Lawrence he was ap-

pointed superintendent of the crossing of the river. At the

head of his company Steele marched with the army to the

attack upon Quebec, but upon the fall of Gen. Montgomery

the Americans retreated, and Arnold's division were all taken

prisoners. He was badly wounded in the left hand, two of

his fingers having been carried away by a musket shot. Thefollowing may be cited as showing the heroic daring of

Capt. Archibald Steele : On one occasion as the Americans

were crossing a river in bark canoes, these were filled to their

utmost capacity with men, and Capt. Steele seeing no roomin the canoe leaped into the river, rested his hands on the

stern of the boat whilst one of the men therein sat upon them,

and thus was he dragged through the floating ice to the

opposite shore. When they reached the shore, life was

almost extinct ; the soldiers wrapped him in their blankets,

and rolled him over the ground to infuse new life in him. Onhis return home from the Quebec expedition he met the

American army in New Jersey, and was informed by Gen.

Hand that two of his brothers, John Steele and Wm. Steele,

were then serving with the army. Capt. Archibald Steele

asked Gen. Hand if he thought his brother John would be

competent to assume the command of a company (being but

eighteen years of age.) Hand replied that he would warrant

his qualification, and the commission was procured. Archi-

bald Steele was afterwards appointed deputy quarter-

master genera], a position he retained for some considerable

time. He was appointed by Washington colonel of a west-

ern expedition, but sickness prevented the acceptance of this

command. He held for some time ia Philadelphia his posi-

tion of military storekeeper. He died in Philadelphia in

1832, aged 91 years. He had three sons in the naval service

during the war of 1812 (George, William and Matthias), whowere captured, taken to England, and there for a time

detained as prisoners of war.

STEELE, General James, son of William and Abigail

Steele, was born in Sadsbury township about the commence-

ment of the Revolutionary war. During the war of 1812


he was, for meritorious conduct, promoted to the rank of

brigadier general. Prior to the war he had erected a paper

mill on the east side of the Octoraro. His residence was on

the Chester county side of the creek, while his store, with

part of his family and most of his improvements, were on

the Lancaster county side. He erected two cotton mills

in Sadsbury township, about the year 1818. He was an

enterprising business man. He was a Presbyterian, yet

his wife and some of his family inclined to the Methodist

faith. He died about 18i0, at an advanced age. His son,

Francis B. Steele, was appointed military storekeeper at the

Falls of St. Anthony, in Minnesota, under the administration

of President Jackson, in which State several of the family

now reside.

STEELE, General John, was born in Drumore town-

ship, Lancaster county, in the year 1758. His parents had

emigrated from Scotland, and settled in that part of the

county at an early day. His parents had designed him for

the ministry, and with this end in view had placed him under

the instruction of the Eev. Mr. James, a Presbyterian clergy-

man, and upon the breaking out of the Revolution he was

reading divinity with the Eev. Mr. Latta. He immediately

joined the American army as a private, being then but

eighteen years of age, and at the age of nineteen, having

shown his valor, he was given the command of a company.

He continued in the service of his country during the whole

of the Revolution. He received a severe wound in the

abdomen at the battle of Brandywine, from the effects of

which he came near losing his life. Upon the conclusion of

the war of the Revolution he returned to civil life, having

the fixed habits of military life and little qualified for busi-

ness; and yet though one of his arms was disabled from a

wound received in the service, he refused a pension when in

his reach, and battled for the means of subsistence as best

he could. In 1801 he was elected a member of the Legis-

lature, the duties of which he discharged during one

session. The following year he was nominated and elected

by the Republican (Democratic) party State Senator of

Pennsylvania. By virtue of the act of 15th of February,

564: BIOGBAPHICAL HISTORY

1799, whicli seemed to preclude a Senator from occupying

certain offices by appointment, the Senate declared the seat

of General Steele vacant in 1803, and on the 16th of Febru-

ary, ISOi, an election was ordered to fill the vacancy. His

friends, however, believing that there was no valid constitu-

tional objections to his tatiug his seat in the Senate, resolved

to use their best efforts to secure his reelection. He was

accordingly elected Senator without any serious opposition,

and was admitted to his seat. On the resignation of Eobert

Whitehill, Speaker of the Senate in March, 1805, General

Steele was elected Speaker of that body. He was again, in

December of the same year, the Eepublican candidate for

Speaker of that body, but as his party was now in the

minority he was not elected. Again in December, 1806, he

was the candidate of his party for United States Senator,

and tied Andrew Gregg on three ballots before the joint

convention of the Senate and House of Eepresentatives. Auadjournment was now carried, and when the convention re-

assembled, his competitor, Andrew Gregg, was elected.

He was one of the commissioners who were appointed to

adjust the damages sustained by the Wyoming sufferers at

the hands of the Indians. He was, in 1808, appointed by

President Jefferson, collector of the port of Philadelphia, a

position he held during the remainder of his life. He died

February 27th, 1827. The following is from Poulson^s Ad-

vertiser: "On Wednesday last the flag of the customhouse,

and those of the shipping, in port, were suspended at half

mast as a mark of respect to the memory of General Steele.

He wtis an officer of the Revolutionary army, and served for

many years as collector of the jDort of Philadelphia. In his

death we are deprived of a useful citizen, whose character

for integrity and benevolence will be long and deservedly

remembered."

STEELE, William, jr., son of William Steele, sr., was

one of the early and staunch advocates of American independ-

ence. He was appointed one of the lieutenants for Lancaster

county during the Eevolution, and took an active and effi-

cient part in the struggle. He was married to Abigail, a

sister of Francis Baily, esq., of Sadsbury. After the close of

OP LANCASTKE COUNTT. 565

the Revolution, be was appointed one of the magistrates of

Lancaster county, a position he held until about the year

1812.

STEELE, WiLLiAjr, sr., was a prominent man amongthe early settlers of Sadsbury township. lie obtained a

warrant for a large tract of land west of the Octoraro, in the

southern part of the township. He was an influential mem-ber of the old Presbyterian church at Octoraro. He was

chosen captain of one of the associated companies of the

Lancaster county militia in the year 1756, at the time of the

Indian and French war.

STEHMAN, John M., a banker' of Lancaster, was elected

a member of the Legislature in 1860. He was again re-

elected to the same office in the years 1865 and 1866. Heis also engaged in agricultural pursuits.

STEIGEL,"Wir. Hexry, generally known as Baron Steigel,

was a native of Manheim, Germany. He emigrated to

America and became associated with the Messrs. Stedman,

of Philadelphia, who were Englishmen of great wealth, and

who 'owned the land upon which the town of Manheim in

'There is no stronger evidence of the growing wealth of the people of

Lancaster county, than the great change in its banking business, whenwe compare the past with tlie present. For a long time there were butfour banks in the city, one in Columbia, and one in Marietta ; the latter

was in existence but a short time, having to suspend operations. Tiie

oldest institution, theF armors' Bank, was incorporated in 1810; next the

Lancaster Bank, incorporated in 1814, which suspended in 1856; the Lan-caster County Bank, incorporated in 1841; and the office of Discount andDeposit, a branch of the Bank of Pennsylvania, which was compelled to

wind up its business on account of the suspension of the mother bank in

Philadelphia; the Lancaster Savings Institution, incorporated in 1835 or

1830 enjoyed, to a large extent, the confidence of the people, and had aheavy line of deposits, but was compelled to suspend in 1856; the nextincorporated savings institution, was the Inland Insurance and DepositCompany, incorporated in 1854, which at one time carried a good line ofinsur.ance, but of late years has confined its operations more particularly

to banking.

Private banker's now occupy a very prominent place in our financial cir-

cles, and this line of business was first started by George K. Reed andJohn F. Shroder, in 1850. Ever since that time Mr. Reed has been en-

gaged in the banking business, and is now an active member of the old

fljrm of Reed, McGraun & Co. Some years afterwards Reed, Hender-son & Co. commenced 'operations; next John Gyger & Co., the firm now


Lancaster county is built. Steigel came to Lancaster county

about 1758, and purchased from the Stedmans the one-third

interest of a tract of 714 acres, and immediately thereafter

built Elizabeth furnace, named in honor of his wife. Henow laid out a town which he named Manheim,' in honor of

his native city in Germany. The town was laid out as per

plan of the European Manheim, which Steigel had brought

with him from Germany. He built his chateau with brick,

imported from England, and arranged it in the manner of a

nobleman's castle. One of the rooms of his castle was orna-

mented with paintings representing an equestrian hawking

party, of life-size figures. The antique and curiously

wrought massive ceilings yet indicate the expense and labor

bestowed upon the dwelling.^ Over the old-fashioned fire-

place are square plates of delf set in cement, representing

landscapes. The baron lived in his wilderness home and

sustained for a time the pomp and luxuriance of a noble-

man. Upon the top of his castle was a balcony upon which

a band of musicians would take their position and play

favorite airs as soon as the Baron's return home from a

dissolved. These liave been succeeded by Bair ifc Shenk; Stelimau,

Claikson& Co.; R. A. Evans & Co., the firm now dissolved; D. P. Locher

& Son; J.B.Long; Diflenderfifer & Bros. ; Eshlemanifc Rathvon; and A.

K. Spurrier & Co. In the county : The Farmers' Bank of Elizabeth-

town; Litiz Deposit and Columbia Deposit Banks, are also private in-

stitutions. After the passage of the National Banking law, all of the

old State corporations were compelled to accept its provisions if they

wished to continue their circulation. It was also the means of starting

up quite a number of new institutions. The following are the national

banks in the county : Farmers' National Bank of Lancaster; Lancaster

County National Bank; First National Bank of Lancaster; Columbia

National Bank; First National Bank of Columbia; First National Bankof Marietta; First National Bank of Strasburg; First National Bank of

Mount Joy; Union National Bank of Mount Joy; and Manheim National

Bank. Almost every village in the county can now boast of its banking

facilities.

' The laud upon which Manheim is built was taken up in 1731 by

James Logan, whose daughter married a Mr. Norris, and he sold it to the

Stedmans of Philadelphia.

'The Baron's house was for years in the possession of John Arndt, a

merchant of Manheim, not long since deceased, and who in repairing it

made such alterations in it as leaves little to be seen that recalls the

name of Steigel, save the room above cited with the paintings.


journey would be announced by tliefiringofa canon stationed

some distance from the castle. In one of tbe upper rooms

of liis house or castle it was the Baron's custom to preach to

his laboring hands on Sunday.

The Baron erected glass works to give encouragement to

the inhabitants whom he desired to attract to his new town.

These works for many years were carried on successfully bySteigel, and turned out great quantities of glass articles,

lie carried on both the glass works and the Elizabeth

furnace for several years. lie, however, exceeded in the end

the limits of his ability in a financial point of view. Hepurchased the whole of the Stedman interest in the property,

and being unable ever to liquidate the payments for the

same he failed, and his property was all sold by the sheriff.

He was also imprisoned for the debt in the Lancaster county

jail, and an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature was, in 1774,

passed for his relief and liberation. After his failure Sfeigel

taught school in the German districts of Lancaster and

Berks counties, and was somewhat supported by the

iron-masters who came into possession of Elizabeth furnace,

and who commiserated him in his misfortunes. He died in

great indigence, and though his place of burial is unknown,

yet he is thought to be laid somewhere east of Elizabeth

furnace, near the line between Berks and Lancaster counties.

Upon the breaking out of the American Revolution SteigeFs

aristocratic feelings led him to espouse the cause of King

George, and one of his sons raised a company for the royal

service. His company being severely pressed for pro-

visions, young Steigel pledged his gold watch to a farmer for

a bullock, and whether the story be mythical or not, his

watch is yet said to be in the possession of a gentleman in

Lancaster county.

STEINMAN, Jonx Frederick, one of the early citizens

of Lancaster borough, and the ancestor of the highly re-

spectable family of this name. He was a native of Germany,

and emigrated from a small town near Berlin at an early

day. He began the hardware business about the year 1762,

at the place where his descendants have continued the same

for one hundred and ten years. He was the first who began


this branch of trade in Lancaster, starting it rather in the

tinware line, and afterwards developing it into the regular

hardware business. He had two sons, John Frederick and

George M., the former of whom is yet living at the advanced

age of eighty-three years. John Frederick Steinman, last

named, was a leading and successful business man, and for

many years an influential member of city councils and the

Lancaster school board. General George M. Steinman, son

of the latter, is one of the leading business men of Lancaster

cit}', and a man of considerable intellectual capacity. lie

is besides, a man of inventive ingenuity, and the one whosome years since invented for the city reservoir the plan which,

by means of a floating ball, attached by a chain to the water

pipe, prevented the mud and other filth from entering the

pipes and being carried through the city. This was an in-

vention which at the time was of vast utility. He served

for many years as a member of city councils and as a mem-ber of the school board. In 1862 he was the candidate of

the Democratic party for Congress in opposition to Thaddeus

Stevens. lie yet carries on the business started by his

grandfather.

*STEVENS, Thaddeus. When a man of peculiar quali-

fications is required to push the world onward towards the

good time coming, when the lion and the lamb shall lie downtogether, and a little child shall lead them, Providence always

furnishes an instrument adapted to the work. History is full

of such cases. Sometimes the chosen one seems to come

forth like ]\Iinerva from the hand of Jove, fully developed

and equipped at all points for the work. At other times it

would appear that a long course of vigorous training is re-

quired to fit the destined leader for his work. Moses spent the

first forty years of his life in the most learned, the most lux-

urious, the most dissolute court then existing. In this

period lie learned to know men, their virtues, and their

vices. Forty years more tending sheep in the solitudes of

vast plains and rugged mountains, gave him leisure to think

over, to fully comprehend the power and use 6f the know-

ledge he had before acquired. It was in this way he was

^Contributed by Alexander H. Hood, esq.


made capable of becoming the leader and law-giver of the

only people wbo retained the knowledge of the facts and

principles on which only the highest civilization is possible :

the law of the Eternal, Invisible, All-powerful Intelligence,

which made and sustains the universe, material and spiritual.

In our own time we have seen numerous instances of

Providential selection and preparation. No other man than

Abraham Lincoln could have abolished slavery so effectually

as he did. His slow, cautious mode of dealing with the ques-

tion, prevented all hazard of failure from premature attempts.

At the beginning of the war Grant never dreamed that he

was the man destined to end the rebellion. Up to this time

he had not been a prosperous man. Fortune, in almost every

instance, seemed to baffle his exertions. Most probably it

was from this very circumstance that he acquired that per-

sistence of purpose which afterwards made his success so

thoroughly complete.

Lincoln finished his alloted lask, and in fire and blood was

called to his reward. Grant still remains, because his dis-

tinguishing quality may be still further needed. Without

the crowning victories of Grant, Lincoln's proclamation of

freedom would have remained a dead letter. Without the

reconstruction measures of Stevens, the South in a few years

would, through the agency of its legislative bodies, have

nullified all the good which the proclamation of Lincoln and

the victories of Grant had given the nation power to estab-

lish. To give a history of this man as fully as can be done

within the small space to which this article is limited, is the

task which the writer has undertaken.

Thaddeus Stevens was born in the town of Danville, Cale-

donia county, Vermont, on the 4th day of April, 1792. Ofhis father but little is known, beyond the facts that he was a

man of rather dissipated habits, and a great wrestler, able

to throw down any man in the county. In the war of 1812

he enlisted as a soldier, and in the attack on Oswego received

a bayonet wound in the groin, of which he died a few days

afterwards. His mother, of whom he never wearied in talk-

ing, was a woman of strong natural sense and unconquerable

resolution. Her maiden name was Morrell, and the great

40


object of her life was to give her sons a good education. In

this effort she was successful. The eldest became a judge in

Illinois ; Alanson, the second son, was a practicing physician

of high reputation at the time of his death. Another, the

third of the brothers, became a farmer, and was a gentleman

of intelligence and culture. Thaddeus, the youngest, was

the one on whom she placed the greatest share of her afiec-

tions. There was a valid, natural reason, for this. The boy,

though healthy, was in some degree .deformed. He had a

club foot, and doubtless required greater attention than the

others. From the little that can now be gathered as to the

relations between him and his mother, it is very clear that

he was the Joseph of the family.

Ilis first journey into the world was in 1804, when he

went with his parents to Boston, on a visit to some relations.

lie very seldom alluded to this trip, though from what he

did say about it, the inference to be drawn is, that he cameto a resolution to become rich and live like the wealthy mendid there. This resolution, however, seemed to have little

effect upon his afterdife, for there never was a man whocared less for money to be spent upon himself. It may be

that it was at this time he began to understand that monevwas the power by which men were ruled, but it seems

scarcely possible that one so young could have arrived at this

conclusion. He was, however, a genuine Yankee, and in

poor countries, like Vermont was then, taken in connection

with his knowledge that all he could ever hope to be, must

depend upon himself, it may be that it was then that some of

the prominent characteristics of his nature were developed.

That it was at this time he determined to make his mark in

the world, is certain. The year after this, the spotted fever

prevailed to an alarming degree in Caledonia. For miles

around his home there was scarcely a family in which one- or

more were not stricken down. In many houses all were

sick, and it was almost impossible to obtain help. In this

state of things Mrs. Stevens turned nurse, and went to the

help of her neighbors, taking young Thaddeus along with

her. Among the families they visited there was no little

suffering, and the recollection of this fact operated in after-


life to make him always very kindly disposed to the sick and

the poor. To such, up to the end of his life, when he knew

of their wants, he was always a ministering angel. Often, it

is true, he would rail at men for their vices, their want of

industry and care, and yet it often seemed he was more kind

to this class of persons than to those who had never been

guilty of such imprudence. Many of his good works of this

kind were done in secret, no one knowing anything about

them except himself and the party benefited. Those whoasked for his charity he never refused when he had money;

when his pockets were empty, as was sometimes the case, he

would never admit the fact, but justify his refusal by bring-

ing forward the unworthiness of the applicant. Those whoknew the real reason of hiis conduct, were often considerably

amused at the seriousness with which he Avould lecture the

applicant on such occasions.

That his father was a shoemaker is known, but he did

not work steadily at the business. Thaddeus, though his

opportunities were not great, had still a chance to pick up a

little of the trade. Certain it is, that after his father's death,

and perhaps before it, he made the shoes of the family, and

perhaps some for a few of the neighbors. In his younger

years, when first a candidate for the Legislature, he used to

boast of being a shoemaker ; and the writer has seen menwho averred that they had worked with him in the same

shop, but this was not true. Certain it is, that he never did

anything of the sort in Pennsylvania.

During his early years Mr. Stevens was a most diligent

reader of everything that came into his hands. Books, at

that time, were not very numerous in Peacham, where he

then lived. When he was about fifteen he tried the exper-

iment of founding a library, which it is said still exists, hav-

ing grown considerably in size since his day. About this

time, like all Yankee boys who desire an education, he be-

gan to teach school, and, it is said, was quite a successful

teacher. On September 11th, 1814, he was a student at

Burlington college, for on that day he saw, with a spy-glass,

the fight between McDonough and the British fleet on Lake

Champlain. For some reason he did not graduate at this


college, but at Dartmouth in tlie following year. Perhaps

the following circumstance, which is taken from the relation

of Stevens himself, may have had something to do with the

change.

The campus at Burlington college was not enclosed, and

the cows of the citizens used to enjoy it as a pleasant pasture

ground. Before commencement, it was usual to give< the

people notice to keep their cows away till after com-

mencement was over. The grounds were then cleared up,

and everything kept in complete order till the exercises

were ended and the students gone to their homes. It hap-

pened that among the citizens of Burlington was a man, "a

stubborn fellow, whom," as Stevens said, " we shall call

Jones." He would take no steps to keep his cows off the

campus. One night, about a week before the day of com-

mencement, Stevens and a friend were walking under the

trees in front of the college, when they saw one of Jones'

cows withinthe prohibited lines. They knew the cow belonged

to Jones ; they knew Jones let her go there in a spirit of de-

fiance to the students. After some discussion, it was agreed

to kill the cow.

Among the students was a young man who kept himself

aloof from most of the others. In a word, he had the reputa-

tion of being decidedly pious. This young man had a room in

an out-house belonging to the college, where in spare moments

he manufactured many things out of wood, which he sold to

the people of the town and to others. Among other tools,

he was known to have an axe, and Stevens and his compan-

ion determined to use it in the execution of the cow. The

axe was procured, the cow was slain, the axe returned, and

the two avengers of the college dignity retired to rest.

The next morning Jones was with the president making com-

plaint about the death of his cow. An investigation was at

once begun ; blood was found on the axe of the pious, well-

behaved student ; he denied the charge, but as there was no

evidence against any other person, he was threatened with a

public reprimand and expulsion on the day on which he had

expected to graduate with high honors. No doubt the young

man suffered much, but Stevens and his associate suffered


'mucli more. They dare not inform against tliemselves, yet

they could not see an innocent person punished for their mis-

conduct. What was to be done ? After many conferences,

without any result, Stevens suggested that Jones was not a bad

man, but rather a high-spirited fellow, who would help them

out of the scrape if they would throw themselves upon his

mercy. This they resolved to do. It was the night before

commencement day, Avhen they had their interview with

Jones. They made a clean breast of it, and offered to pay

twice the value of the cow whenever they should be able to

do so. Jones listened kindly ; told them not to distress

themselves about the price of the cow, and said he would fix

it all next morning. True to his word, about 9 o'clock

Jones appeared just before the proceedings were to begin;

told the professors that he was all wrong about the death of

his cow, and that she had been killed by soldiers who were

going down the river on a boat, and had no time to dress

and remove the meat. This made all things right ; the

pious young man was not expelled, but honorably acquitted

of the charge. Stevens and his friend were never suspected.

Some years afterwards, when Stevens was rising in the

world, Mr. Jones received a draft for the price of the best

sort of cow in the market, accompanied by a fine gold watch

and chain by way of interest. A year or two afterwards

there came to Gettysburg, directed to Mr. Stevens, a hogs-

head of the best Vermont cider, and this was the end of the

killing of Jones' cow.

It cannot now be ascertained with certainty what profes-

sion Mr. Stevens originally intended to adopt. In arguing

predestination with one who is an Arminian, lie evinced sucli

an intimate acquaintance with the theological writers of the

Calvinistic school, that the friend said: "Stevens, did you

ever study with a view to the pulpit ?" The answer was :

" Umph! I have read the books." This is all that is knownabout it.

Mr. Stevens made his appearance in Pennsylvania, at York,

about the end of 1815, where he obtained a situation as

teacher in an academy, of which Dr. Perkins was the princi-

pal. Amos Gilbert, a very celebrated teacher, then residing


at York, said that Stevens was at that time one of the most

backward, retiring, modest young men he had ever seen, and

that he was a remarkably hard student. This is the only

fact as to the period of his stay at York the writer has been

able to ascertain. Soon after leaving the academy he madeapplicationfor admission to the bar at Gettysburg, but owing

to the fact that he had not read law under the instruction of

a gentleman learned in the law, for two years, as required bythe rule of court, he was rejected. At that time Maryland

admitted all applicants to the bar who, on examination, were

found to be qualified. Mr. Stevens went to Bel Air, where

the court was in se.ssion, and made application to be ex-

amined. The court, Judge Chase, of impeachment fame,

appointed a committee, of which the chairman was General

Winder. Stevens' description of the examination is well

worth preserving:

Supper was over, the table was cleared off, and the clock

said it was half-past seven. Stevens was, of course, punctual

to time, and shortly after, the judge and the committee took

their seats. "Are you the young man who is to be ex-

amined?" said the judge. Stevens replied that he was.

" Mr. Stevens," said the judge, " there is one indispensable

pre-requisite before the examination can proceed. There

must be two bottles of Madeira on the table, and the appli-

cant must order it in." The order was given, the wine

brought forward, and its quality thoroughly tested. Gen.

Winder began with :" Mr. Stevens, what books have you

read ?" Stevens replied, " Blackstone, Coke upon Littleton,

a work on pleading, and Gilbert on evidence." This was

followed by two or three other questions by other members

of the committee, the last of which required the distinction

between a contingent remainder and an executory devise,

which was satisfactorily answered. By this time the judge was

feeling a little dry again, and broke in saying: "Gentlemen,

you see the young man is all right, I'll give him a certificate."

This was soon made out and signed, but before it was handed

over, two more bottles had to be produced. These were

partaken of by a large number of squires, &c., who were

there attending court, who, as soon as the examination was


concluded, came in and were introduced to the newly-made

member of the bar. " Fip-Ioo " was played then for a good

part of the night. Stevens was then a green hand at the

business. To use his own words, when he paid his bill the

next morning, he had but §3.50 left out of the 845 he began

with the night before.

He left early, rode fast, and while crossing McCall's ferry

bridge, not then finished, he had a very narrow escape from

death. His horse took fright, and would have fallen into

the river with his rider, had it not been for the presence of

mind of one of the men working on the bridge. He dined

that day in Lancaster, at Slough's hotel, and while his horse

was resting, walked from one end of King street to the other.

He did not feel pleased with the town, and while thus en-

gaged came to the conclusion he would go back to Gettys-

burg. That night he staid at York, and the next day began

his legal career, with but few friends and very little money.

It was a considerable time before he obtained any busi-

ness of importance, and he became quite discouraged. At a

dance at Littlestown, he told a friend he could hold out no

longer, that he would have to seek another location. A day

or two after, a horrible murder was committed, and none of

the prominent lawyers seemed willing to undertake the de-

fence. Stevens was retained, and exerted himself to the

utmost in behalf of his client, but without success. The

man was convicted and executed. Many years after, Mr.

Stevens said that he had been counsel for the defence in

more than fifty murder cases, in all of which but one he had

been successful, adding, that every one of them deserved hang-

ing except the one that was hanged, who was certainly insane.

This case brought Mr. Stevens a fee of $1500, and this was

the beginning of his fortune.

Mr. Stevens rose at once to celebrity as a lawyer. Hewas up to 1831 engaged in nearly all the great cases tried

in Adams, York, Franklin and Cumberland counties. During

this period a large number of colored people, illegally hell

by persons claiming their services as slaves, were liberated

by his exertions. When the law could not avail, he used to

buy and set them free. At one time when coming from the


Hagerstown races, lie stopped at a tavern, the landlord of

which had been "cleaned out," and had no resource but to

sell one of his hotjs. There was already a trader haggling

'about the price when Stevens arrived. The owner wanted

$500, the trader offered four hundred. While this was going

on, Stevens was so strongly impressed with the boy's resem-

blance to the landlord, that he called him aside and asked

why he was going to sell the boy to a trader. The landlord

said he did not like to do it, but he had been so very unfor-

tunate at the races, that he must make a raise some way or

other. Stevens, finding that the owner would rather not sell

the boy, proposed to buy him for his own use. After talk-

ing it over, Stevens saying he would set the boy free at

twenty-one years, a bargain was made for $350. When the

bill of sale was being made out, Stevens asked what namehe should give the boy ? Observing the landlord looking

confused, and red in the face, Stevens said, " Oh, I'll put

your name in ; these fellows always goes by the name of their

owners." "I saw," Stevens remarked, "he was the land-

lord's own son, or I never should have bought him for $350."

Stevens kept him about four years and then gave him a fair

start to make his own living.

Until 1829 when the Anti-Masonic excitement swept over

Pennsylvania, Mr. Stevens took but little part in politics.

It no where appears thi\t in the elections from 1817 to that

period, he was in any degree prominent. The reason for

this seems to have been, that being a Federalist, and the

party going downward, he could not find a cause in which to

exert his energies. He once told the writer, that the last

intercourse he had with Buchanan, was at York, in 1827.

They had both been engaged on the same side in the trial of

a cause, and when the jury were out they walked down a

lane some distance from the town and took a seat on the

top-rail of the fence. Buchanan began the discourse bysaying to Stevens, that now was the time for a man of

ability to enter into politics, and suggested that Stevens

would do well to come into the support of Jackson. Stevens

answered by saying, that he saw the advantages of such a

course, but for his part he was ashamed to forsake his old opin-


ions, which he believed to be right, for the sake of joining a

party in which he had no faith. This was the last time they

met for many years. In 1867 they met at the wedding of

Dr. Henry Carpenter, the friend of both. Stevens approached

Buchanan holding out his hand. Buchanan turned aside as

though he did not see the offer, and entered into conversa-

tion with some one he met as he turned. During all these

years they had never met. A year afterwards both were in

their graves.

In 1831 Mr. Stevens began his political career as a mem-ber of the Assembly from Adams county. The session was

nearly over before he said anything which excited markedattention. He then made a speech reviewing the course of

the Jackson party and its leaders, which at once placed himin the front rank of the ablest men of the State. This

revelation of ability, with his strict adherence to his pro-

claimed principles, drew upon him the enmity of his oppo-

nents, and for many years he was the target at which their

most venomous shafts were directed. The members of the

Masonic order regarded him as little less than a devil incar-

nate. Democrats, not belonging to the order, were equally

bitter against him. The deformity of his foot was seized

upon to spread the idea of his connection with the prince of

the fallen angels. Those who read the Democratic journals

of that time, will see that no man was ever so foully abused.

He was charged with all manner of evil, and men who said a

word in his favor were regarded as little less devilish than

himself. Such was his repiitation up to 1835, when an

attempt was made to repeal the school law, passed at the

previous session by a nearly unanimous vote. The fact that

it seemed to impose a new tax was seized upon by both

parties, and each fearing the other might gain advantage bybeing foremost in its denunciation, made all possible haste to

declaim against it. When the bill was called up in the

House, it seemed as though no one would say a word in favor

of the then existing law. Speech after speech was delivered

in favor of the repeal, and the question was on the point of

being put, when Mr. Stevens rose to speak. He was terribly

earnest. All his powers were roused to the utmost. Those

41


who heard him, say he spoke like a prophet inspired by the

truth and magnitude of his theme. In ten minutes it seemed

as though all opposition to the schools was utterly van-

quished. When the vote was taken the bill was defeated bya large majority. This speech placed the school system of

Pennsylvania upon an impregnable basis. No man was ever

afterwards heard to speak of its repeal. Ever since, it has

been steadily growing in popular favor—indeed, at this time,

but few recollect or know that it was ever bitterly opposed.

Successive acts of the Legislature have brought it to the

perfection it has now attained, and at this day it ranks in its

sphere with the very best educational systems of the world.

But in 1835 there was no such thing as reporting speeches

by phonography. There was not even a stenographer to be

found in either house of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Some hours after its delivery it was attempted to report it

from memory, but the written speech conveys nothing of the

force and power of the words as they fell from the lips of

the speaker. From that day forth Mr. Stevens was regarded

by all intelligent people as a great man. Some hated him

still, but no one was foolish enough to deny his ability.

During this same session, the committee to investigate

Free Masonry, of which Mr. Stevens was the chairman and

originator, made its report. At this day it would be quite a

curiosity, but it had the effect to keep up the excitement for

a year or two longer. At the election in 1835, in conse-

quence of the split in the Democratic party, Joseph Eitner

•was elected Governor by a plurality of votes ; the united

vote of Wolf and Muhlenberg exceeding the number polled

for Eitner by about twelve thousand. In 1836 General

Harrison was nominated as the candidate for President in

opposition to Martin Yan Buren. During nearly the whole

of this campaign, Mr. Stevens was unfavorably disposed to-

wards the anti-Democratic nomination, and it was only after

the State election had revealed how necessary it was for the

salvation of his own party that Mr. Stevens yielded to the

nomination a cordial support. Harrison's unexpected popu-

larity, as developed in the election returns, made it apparent

that by a union of all opposed to the Democracy, Pennsyl-


vania might be carried by the opposition ; and during the

session of the Eeformed Convention in 1837, this union, so

far as the leaders of the various factions were concerned, was

almost fully accomplished. In that convention, Stevens, for

the first time in his life, came in contact with the most bril-

liant speakers and the most profound thinkers in the State,

proving himself rather more than a match for the best of

them. John Sergeant, Joseph Hopkinson, Joseph E. Chan-

dler, Charles Chauncey, Thomas Earle, C. J. Ingersoll, James

M. Porter, Walter Forward, John Morin Scott, and George

"W. Woodward, were the men who were always seeking for

a weak spot in his armor, but could never find it. Those

who were rash enough to make a direct attack upon him,

always came out of the encounter damaged or completely

overthrown. Those who now would like to take the intel-

lectual measure of the man in his best days, should carefully

study the debates of that convention, for the best talent of

"Pennsylvania was to be found on the roll of its members.

Whether the changes made by this body in the fundamental

law of the State, were improvements or otherwise is not yet

fully settled. Further steps in the same direction must yet

be taken to make us certain of its wisdom or its folly. Let

the final verdict be what it may, it will never be knownfrom the names of its makers appended thereto, that Mr.

Stevens was its leading mind. The constitution, as amended,

confined the right of suffrage to white males only. Mr. Ste-

vens denounced this as a violation of natural right, as an act

of the meanest sort of tyranny, perpetrated by cowards and

fools, for the purpose of proving how low they could bend

the knee to the " dark spirit of slavery." His name is not

attached to the instrument. The record of the infamy of

all its other members stands as objects of mingled detesta-

tion and pity to future generations. Thirty-four years have

passed away since this act of tyranny was perpetrated. Ste-

vens lived to see many of those whose signatures sanctioned

the foul act, repent sincerely of their error. In the late

copies of our Digest, the names are not attached to the con-

stitution. No one of those who voted for the word white^

now cares to be remembered as a member of the convention.


Such is the change time has wrought in the public mind.

Soon after the adjournment of the Legislature in 1838, Mr.

Stevens was appointed canal commissioner. This was done

because it was believed he could so manage the public works

as to make them a powerful engine in the reelection of

Governor Eitner. Never, perhaps, was there a more bitter

electioneering campaign in Pennsylvania. No stone was left

unturned on either side to ensure success. The newspapers

of the day were full of libels, and a stranger, believing either

side, would have thought the opposing candidates the greatest

scoundrels that ever existed. Money was also used without

stint. For nearly the whole summer ten thousand dollars

were posted weekly by each side. A few days before the

election, an officer connected with the collector's office at

Philadelphia, came to Harrisburg and offered to bet a quarter

of a million that Porter would be elected. The pockets of

Eitner's friends by this time were empty. Stevens had spent,

or bet at least one hundred thousand dollars, and was about*

at the end of his pile. The knowledge that Eitner's sup-

porters were at the end of their financial scope, did more to

defeat him than all other causes put together. The election

came, and frauds of all kinds were resorted to by both

parties. At this game the Democrats, from long practice,

were far superior to their opponents. It soon became clear

that Eitner had been defeated, but the Legislature was still

in doubt. Both sides claimed that in Philadelphia all their

members were elected. The return judges of that city and

county split into two bodies, and each made their own return.

The returns made by Eitner's friends came to Harrisburg,

and were deposited in the secretary's office, in the manner

prescribed by the law. The other set of returns were brought

to the office by private hands, and the Secretary of State,

Thomas H. Burrowes, refused to receive them. A day or

two after this Burrowes published a short address, in which

he counseled the defeated party to "treat the election as

though it had not taken place, and in that attitude abide the

result." What he really intended to say was, that Eitner's

friends should not give up their bets, but his opponents in-

terpreted it as a threat of revolution. This raised the blood


of partisans on either side to fever lieat. When the Legis-

lature met, an immense crowd of bullies and roughs from

almost every part of the State, filled the capitSl. The clerk

read the returns as presented by both sides; both sides elected

a Speaker, and both adjourned their respective^followers, or

as they were then called, Houses. In the morning it was

feared there would be a terrible fight, but as an adjournment

had been effected without violence, it was supposed that all

things would go on peaceably. During the whole morning

a rowdy from Philadelphia stood behind the seat of Mr.

Stevens, with a dagger in his coat bosom, who swore that if

the friends of Eitner attempted to eject the Democrats byforce, he would kill Stevens, This desperado was watched

closely by another of the same stamp, who, with a butcher

knife, would have stabbed the first had he moved a step

further towards his intended victim. It was a perilous time.

Had the slightest assault been committed upon any one, no

matter from what cause it originated, it would have pro-

duced a terrible scene of bloodshed. The crowd had come

with a fight in view. No one cared to take the responsibility

of striking the first blow. Its dispersion lifted a heavy bur-

den from the hearts of all who desired peace.

The Senate met at three o'clock, and contrary to expecta-

'tion the lobby was crowded to suffocation. It so happened

that both parties had Senators to be sworn in, whose claims

to seats were founded on returns known to be erroneous, but

right upon their face. In this class was Senator Bell, from

the Chester and Montgomery district. As he was entitled

to his seat, in the first instance, there was no objection made.

He was a Democrat ; but when Hanna, a "Whig, in similar

circumstances, was about to be sworn in, a scene of the

utmost confusion prevailed. The crowd broke over the

lobbies, some of them got upon chairs and began to speak.

Charles Brown, one of the Democratic contestants, was par-

ticulary vociferous, and so was Washington Barton. During

all this time the Speaker, Penrose, kept his seat and tried to

maintain order, but his efforts were in a great measure fruit-

less. It was now nearly seven o'clock. Stevens, who was

in the hall, now attempted to leave, but could not make his


way through the crowd. He went back to the fire-place, and

while standing there was told by a friend, it was intended

to kill him if. he went out at the door. It was then sug-

gested that he and Burrowes should leave by the window of

the room, near the fire. This was done not to avoid danger,

for he did not believe the story, but because there was noother means of egress. While going out of the window, the

door of the room opening at the end of the lobby stood

open, and they were seen by some of the crowd. Three

persons, one of them with a large bowie-knife in his hand,

ran out through the crowd, swearing he would kill the

scoundrel yet. Had these villains not mistaken the direction

of the window, there is very little doubt that both Stevens

and Burrowes would have been murdered. For some days

all was confusion, but on Sunday a considerable number of

uniformed volunteers arrived from Philadelphia and restored

order. For nearly three weeks the Stevens House met in a

room at Wilson's, now the Lochiel House. This could not

last ; and the Senate agreed to recognize the Hopkins' House.

For nearly the whole session Stevens absented himself from

his seat. When the session was more than half over, the

Democrats passed a resolution of expulsion, which was fol-

lowed by an election, at which Mr. Stevens was reelected bya large majority. He took his seat a few days before the

end of the session, and remained there till its close.

In the great campaign of 1840, Mr. Stevens took a decided

stand in favor of " the Hero of the Thames." For months

before the inauguration of Harrison, it was understood

throughout Pennsylvania, that Mr. Stevens was to have a

seat in the cabinet. That Harrison had selected him for post-

master general, is known with certainty, but through the

open opposition of Clay, and the wavering of Webster, the

appointment was given to Mr. Granger. Stevens never for-

gave Webster for the part he took in this transaction ; nor

did he go into the support of Clay in 1844 till, through

Harmer Denny, Clay made known to Stevens that, should he

be elected, atonement would be made for past wrong. Hadthe urgent entreaties of Stevens and his friends in relation to

General Markle, the candidate for Governor, been acted on,


Henry Clay would have been President of the United States.

That Markle was known to be the fast friend of Stevens, lost

him votes enough to ensure his defeat. This lost Pennsyl-

vania to Clay, and that decided the contest.

Mr. Stevens closed his service in the Legislature of Penn-

sylvania with the session of 1841. His long continued atten-

tion to politics, and the large sums he expended, had materi-

ally impaired his fortune. In the summer of 1842 he came

to the conclusion that Gettysburg did not afford an adequate

field for his powers, and this induced his removal to Lancaster,

in August, 1842. In the fall of 1843 he tried to reorganize

the anti-Masonic party, but the effort was a failure. His

course in 1844 has been already noticed, and from that time

till 1848 he was quiescent in politics, though he was always

keenly alive to what was going on in the country. During this

period his practice was very remunerative, and from this and

the sale of his Adams county farms, he brought down his

debts to within what he considered a manageable limit. In

1843 he was in danger of being sold out by the sheriff. In

1844 he paid interest on debts amounting to $217,000.

In 1849, when he first went to Congress, he had reduced his

debts to $30,000. On March 4th, 1853, when his first service

in Congress ended, his debts amounted to about $60,000.

What he was worth at his death, is diflicult to say. It mayhave been $100,000, perhaps less than half of that amount.

When the free-soil movement began, he was favorable to

its principles, though he supported Taylor with all his might

for the presidency. In 1848, after a sharp contest with the

opposing candidates for the nomination, he was named for

Congress by the supporters of Taylor, and elected by a large

majority. During the four years that he served at this time,

he was recognized as one of the leading men in Congress,

and enjoyed to a large extent the confidence of Gen. Taylor,

who, though a slaveholder himself, was, witbout declaring it

openly, opposed to the further extension of that evil ; and it

is very certain that it was through his adroit management

California came into the Union as a free State. After the

death of Taylor, Fillmore, in hope of a reelection, and

Webster, with the design of taking the wind out of Fillmore's

584: BIO&EAPHICAL HISTORY

sails, went down on their knees to the slave power, and gave

it all it wanted, in the shape of the fugitive slave law. This

law and all kindred measures Mr. Stevens opposed to the

extent of his power.

In 1851, for the first time in many years, a fugitive slave

resisted, with arms, the claim of his owner. About two

miles from Christiana, Lancaster county, a number of fugi-

tive slaves were hiding at the house of a colored man,

named Parker. An elderly man, named Gorsuch. of Mary-

land, assisted by his son, and a deputy marshal from Phila-

delphia, named Kline, came to the house of Parker, about

an hour before daylight. Gorsuch, the younger, with Kline,

summoned the persons inside to surrender. To this it was

replied, they would defend themselves, and at the same time

the click of fire-arms was heard. Kline ran and hid behind

a tree. Young Gorsuch went to his father and reported that

an attack would be dangerous. The old man said it would

never do to back out so, and started towards the house, his

son following. Gorsuch hailed the house again, and on

receiving a defiant answer, fired a pistol, the ball taking

efiect in the leg of one of the blacks in the house. This

shot was returned by a volley, killing the elder Gorsuch.

The firing alarmed the neighborhood. Gastner Hanway and

Elijah Lewis were the first to reach the place. These were

white men and abolitionists. Their influence prevented

farther firing, and they assisted the younger Gorsuch to

remove the dead body of his father to Christiana, the nearest

railroad station to the scene of the fight. This occurrence

raised the pro-slavery spirit to a flame, while all their

toadies, far and near, seized upon it as a chance to show

their devotion, not to be neglected. For a week no colored

man could pass along the railroad without being arrested.

Hanway and Lewis were taken to Philadeliîia and tried

for treason. In this trial Mr. Stevens, and John M. Eead,

now one of the judges of the supreme court, were the counsel

for the prisoners. Judge Read's exhaustive argument on the

law of treason, knocked the breath out of the prosecution,

and Mr. Stevens was content with but a few words. The

j)risoners were acquitted, and from that day the fugitive


slave law was a dead letter in Pennsylvania. The great

merit of Mr. Stevens in this transaction, was in the bold,

firm stand he took at the beginning. His defiant attitude

kept up the courage of those who would otherwise have

desponded. His share in the trial was not very conspicuous,

but there were good reasons for the course he p)ursued. Thegreat object was attained, and that was all he desired.

From 1853 till 1858 Mr. Stevens steadily pursued the

practice of his profession, though at the same time taking

part in the initiatory movements which resulted in the

formation of the Eepublican party, he being one of the dele-

gates from this district to the convention which nominated

Fremont. In 1858 the necessities of the country required

his presence in Congress, and, after a warm contest, he was

elected by a large majority. He had scarcely taken his seat

in that body, in December, 1859, when the first symptoms

of the rebellion began to be developed. The south was pre-

paring for an appeal to arms, while the north could not by

any means be induced to believe there was any danger of a

fight. During the whole summer of , 1860, slaveholders

were declaring that if a black Eepublican should be elected

the south would secede, and Mr. Stevens was one of the very

few men in the country who believed the southern leaders

really intended to keep their word. Lincoln was elected,

and even then, when the navy was on the other side of the

globe ; when the army was stationed in the very places most

favorable for the designs of the traitors ; and when nearly

all our muskets and guns were stored in the arsenals of the

south, scarcely any one believed that war was impending.

In those critical thirty-seven days, from the inauguration of

Lincoln till the attack on Sumter, Mr. Stevens continually

urged upon those who had the power, to at least make somepreparation for defence, but with scarcely any result. It

was only after the first great act of the bloody drama had

been closed, that people began to have some faint idea of the

national danger. Even Mr. Lincoln and Secretary Sewardthought that 75,000 men could make all things right in

ninety days. Mr. Stevens saw the full extent of the danger,

and always said that a million of men should be called out


till the war was ended. After Bull Eim had verified the

correctness of his views, he was heard with attention; and

though from his age and deformity it was impossible that he

could be a combatant, no man in the country, in the field or

out of it, exercised a greater influence or personally did more

to place our immense armies in the field. Through all these

bloody years, as chairman of the committee of ways and

means, he was most emphatically the right man in the right

place. Had he been younger and not deformed, his natural

courage would have sent him to the battle-field at the firing

of the first gun. Men, firm believers in the doctrine of

special providence aver, that his lameness was a necessity

ordained to keep him where he was. Without entering into

any discussion on this point, it is enough to say, there were

so many illustrations of the doctrine during the war, that to

a thinking mind it is somewhat difficult altogether to deny

the proposition.

The war ended, but the troubles it brought in its train

stood out in such bold relief, that people only then began to

have something like a correct idea of their magnitude. Thesouth, though beaten and vanquished, was far from being

in a temper to accept the situation as the fortune of a war

brought on by themselves against their brethren. There

was a debt of nearly if not more than three thousand mil-

lions, taxing the people and their posterity for many years

to come. Besides this, there were four millions of emanci-

pated slaves to be cared for, to be instructed and protected

from the aggression of those who had formerly been their

masters. Of the measures adopted to reconstruct the south,

Mr. Stevens was the author. The whole general plan,

though possibly not original with himself, was by adoption

peculiarly his own; and though some modifications mayhave been made in Congress, yet the principal features of his

measures were retained and were the means employed to

govern the people of the section lately in rebellion until its

several portions were again admitted as component parts of

the Union, as States, members of the great family of com-

munities forming the indivisible Eepublic.

During the whole period, from the beginning of the war


to the end of his life, Mr. Stevens was scarcely a day absent

from his seat, and for the most of that time his labors were

truly herculean. During the war, in times of peculiar ad-

versity, when every body else seemed to lose heart, his

indomitable energy, and his full assurance of final success,

inspired with new life the hearts that were ready to give up

the combat. After the disastrous battles of Fredericks-

burg and Chickamauga, he seemed more than ever deter-

mined to fight on, no matter how gloomy the prospect before

the country. A single instance will show how contemptu-

ously he treated those who even thought of the possibility

of some sort of reconciliation with the rebels. A very distin-

guished journalist, a man then heart and soul devoted to the

Eepublicau cause, but at times rather doubtful of our ability

to win, came to Washington, most likely at the invitation

of President Lincoln, to talk over the matter as to the

possibility of making a peace on some reasonable terms.

At what conclusion he and the President arrived, can only

be inferred from subsequent events ; but it is certain that

after leaving the White House, he called on Mr. Stevens.

Here he unfolded his budget of statistics, &c.; spoke of howlarge the debt was already ; how great it would become in a

short time with gold at §2.80 ; how many lives had already

been lost, and how many more would be sacrificed; that wenever could succeed, and more of the same sort, ending

:

that "peace must be made in some way." Stevens heard it

all patiently; was silent for a moment and then rising, said:

" Mr. , every man in these United States has a con-

stitutional right to make a d—-d fool of himself." His

visitor bundled up his papers and left at double quick.

Men will wear out, and Mr. Stevens was no exception to

the general rule. When he left Lancaster for Washington,

about the end of November, 1866, he was so feeble as to be

unable to sit up in the car, and a bed was made for him on

the floor. Those who knew his condition had great fear

whether he could survive the journey. After his arrival at

Washington he rallied, and during most of the session he

remained comparatively well. At the adjournment he came

home, and remained there till November, 1867, when he took

688 BIOGEAPmCAL HISTORY

his last journey to the capital. He then seemed much better

than he had been for some time, and appeared very hopeful

in regard to his health. Shortly after the opening of the

session he made the only great mistake of his congressional

career. By some strange perversion of reasoning, which

took all his friends bj' surprise, he adopted the Pendleton

idea of paying the national debt with greenbacks, and on

one or two occasions argued strongly in its favor. That it

was honestly entertained no one who knew him could doubt;

but for a clear-headed, honest man to advocate practical

repudiation, was something which most people could not

well comprehend. But discussion was soon over. On the

25th of February, 1868, Mr. Stevens, with Mr. Bingham,

appeared in the Senate and presented articles of impeach-

ment against Andrew Johnson. The trial, of which Mr.

Stevens was one of the managers on the part of the House,

ended on the 26th of May. During all this time Mr. Stevens,

so feeble as to be carried daily to the capitol in a chair, was

always present attending to his duty. Nor, when the im-

peachment trial was over, did he fail to attend, but continued

to appear almost daily to the end of the session, which closed

on the 17th of July. Mr. Stevens was at this time too weakto attempt the journey to Lancaster. Every day he became

more and more feeble, till at last, on the 11th of August,

1868, he ceased from his labors.

De mortuis nil nisi verura.

The character of Thaddeus Stevens was made up of con-

tradictory elements. Nature designed him for one of the

great men of the race, and so far as time and circumstances

gave his powers opportunity to act, he fulfilled her intention.

One of the most remarkable endowments, was that never-

failing spirit of generous kindness, which made it his pleasure

to do good to and confer benefits on all who came within his

reach. His inherent liberality grew by continual practice, till

it became almost one of the necessities of his being. No man,

woman or child ever approached Thaddeus Stevens, worthy

or unworthy, and asked for help, who did not obtain it when

he was possessed of the means. His money was given freely

and without stint, when he had it. And with this unbounded


liberality was associated a strong feeling of pride, which but

few of his most intimate friends ever suspected to exist*

He never would confess to a want of money, no matter howstraightened his circumstances. When in this condition, if

contributions were solicited, he invariably either found some

objection to the object, or to the person in whose behalf the

request was made. The reason he gave to a jnost intimate

friend for this kind of conduct, that if he told the truth he

would not be believed, was plausible, but it was not the fact.

The true reason was, that he preferred to have the reputa-

tion of harshness and cruelty, rather than be suspected of

even occasional poverty. Beggars of all grades, high or low,

are very quick in finding out the weak points of those on

whom they intend to operate; and Mr. Stevens was always,

but more particularly when he was a candidate, most un-

mercifully fleeced. This trait was the cause of injury to the

politics of this county. Before he was nominated for Con-

gress, no one here thought of spending large sums of moneyin order to get votes. Now, no man, whatever his qualifi-

cations, can be nominated for any office unless he answers

all demands made upon him, and forks over a greater amount

than any one else will for the same office. It is a most de-

plorable state of things, but the fact is not to be denied.

We have ascribed this profusion of liberality to an innate

kindness of heart and a natural desire to do good to all with

whom he came in contact. This is undoubtedly true; but

Mr. Stevens was far too observant, far too good a judge of

men's motives, not to know that he was almost invariably

imposed upon. This knowledge led him to believe that

nearly all men were corrupt and unfit to be trusted. As he

grew old this feeling became stronger, and he came to regard

the great bulk of mankind as mercenary creatures, only fit to

be the tools of those who were strong enough, rich enough

and skillful enough to use them for their own advantage.

A man without some degree of selfishness in his nature,

would be a poor creature. We all would like to win riches

and honors. Honest men, as the world estimates honesty,

struggling towards the prize they desire to obtain, feel boundto qualify themselves in all respects for the positions they


seek, and at the same time tliey may be selfish enough to

have no scruple as to the means they may use to push aside

others having the same object in view. An honest man,

qualified for any position in the Eepublic, and having the

same estimate of mankind as Mr. Stevens, could not fail, in

all things regarding his political aspirations, to be supremely

selfish. It was not that low, mean selfishness which often

accompanies small, feeble natures, but it was, within its

sphere, the same kind of selfishness which induced a Napo-

leon or a Bismarck to sacrifice a million of lives to secure a

favorite political object. Viewed in this light he was the

very incarnation of selfishness. During the last twenty

years of his life, there was no man living whose welfare,

socially, financially and politically he would not have sacri-

ficed, to obtain the end he had in view. Towards those who

stood more immediately in his way, he sometimes expressed

a degree of bitterness which minds less strong and vigorous

than his own could but faintly appreciate. Nor was this

state of mind incompatible with the kindlier feelings of his

nature. To those of his friends who were sincerely engaged

in helping him onward and upward, and who were not aim-

ing at the same mark as himself, he was the best friend

imaginable. No trouble or effort on his part was too great,

provided it would serve them. And in numerous instances

it was not always only on behalf of his friends his kind

offices were exerted. Men who had treated him ill, who

had slandered and defamed him, would often, upon submis-

sion, find in him a friend when they could find one nowhere

else. Such men he looked upon as hungry dogs to whombones ought to be given, whether deserved or not. He for-

got their enmity, because he regarded them as below his

resentment, and would not take the trouble to give them a

kick when he had them in his power. This was only an-

other phase of the natural kindness which, in spite of all

the promptings of his judgment, often controlled his acts.

When the moral or mental constitution of any man dis-

plays unusual force, it is natural to expect that all his peculi-

arities should display a corresponding degree of strength.

Growing out of the characteristics already mentioned, as their


legitimate fruit, was a weakness which made him, in pecuni-

ary matters, the victim of those whom he well knew were

not worthy of his slightest favor. Of all men he was the

most accessible to flattery. Any scamp with a smooth

tongue, could soft-soap him all over, and the operation was

most grateful to his feelings. And yet, though it pleased

him to the core, he despised the men who laid upon his

altar the incense of their praise. It may be that like

most of men, he had some faith in the truth of what

was told him in this way, but at the same time he knewthe motives which induced the offering. He had not the

power to deny the request which almost invariably accom-

panied the praise. At ' such times he was almost inva-

rably angry at himself because he could not successfully

resist the demand. It is true this process could never in-

duce him to do an act wrong in itself, or injurious to the

public interest, yet when • his own funds were concerned, he

could never muster up the courage to avoid the trap into

which he would go with his eyes open. There is no doubt

this failing, of which he was fully conscious, often gave him

deep vexation ; but he was not a man given to brooding

over mistakes, or to waste time in regrets for any thing he

ever did.

Another quality most strongly developed, was his un-

conquerable jDcrseverance and determination to accomplish

anything which he undertook. No matter how often de-

feated, he was always ready to " try, try again;" and this he

would do when, to all appearance, he had not the slightest

chance of success. One great object of his ambition was to

be a Senator of the United States, and had he conceived the

idea ten years sooner, there is little doubt he would have

reached his aim. In this, perhaps, it was better for his fame

he did not succeed. In no other position than the one occu-

pied for the last ten years of his life, could he have done so

much for the increase of his reputation, or the benefit of the

cause in which he was engaged. That he never obtained his

desire, was another verification of the undoubted truth .

"Man proposes;" God rules.

The great results which flowed from this indomitable


firmness of purpose have never been attributed to their true

source. From the beginning of the great conflict between,

the contending sections of the nation, till a very short period

before its close, there were miiltitudes of people who were

willing to make peace with the rebels upon their own terms.

Even among distinguished men of the Republican party there

were never wanting persons of weak backbones, who would

at any time have been only too glad to have a chance to

enter into some sort of compromise. Against all such his

tremendous powers of invective and sarcasm were continu-

ally directed, not so much in speeches as in his general con-

versation. Whenever and wherever he detected the first

symptom of backing down, the man who exhibited the

weakness was soon made to feel uncomfortable ; while to

those who were but seldom troubled with such fits of de-

spondency, he imparted a share of that perfect confidence in

the ultimate triumph of the national arms, which was one

of the most effective reasons of their final success.

Men of this description are not usually noted for their

kindness and humanity, but with Mr. Stevens the bark was

generally worse than the bite. To hear him speak of mili-

tary men of all grades, who had during the war been derelict

in duty, it might have been inferred he was extremely

sanguinary, but such was not the case. During the war his

good ofiices were often required to save men sentenced to be

shot, and he never refused to invoke with success the kind

feelings of President Lincoln, who was only too happy to

have some person to intercede for the miserable delinquent.

It is true, that in a speech in Congress, Stevens justified

Juarez for shooting Maximilian, but it is very certain that had

he been ruler of Mexico the fallen emperor would have

been sent home safe and sound. There is no doubt that had

Mr. Stevens been invested with the power of life and death,

there would have been but few criminals executed. Awoman's tearful face, or the wail of a child, was beyond his

power to resist. This, in a ruler, might have been a great

weakness, but in Mr. Stevens' position it was, doubtless, one

of the most amiable traits in his character. Nothing ever'

pleased him better than to tell of his success with the Presi-


dent, on occasions like tliose above referred to. He never

took the credit of success to himself, but always ascribed it

to the goodness of Old Abe. Let us illustrate what has been

said by introducing one of these stories: "A young fellow,

from this county was to be shot for desertion. It was rather

a hard case, and his mother, in great distress, called on me to

help save him. I took her at once to the White House and

introduced her to the President. On the road I toli her to

tell her story in her own way, which she did in such a man-

ner as none but a mother could tell it. I said nothing. I

saw by the President's eye it was all right. There was no

use in my saying a word. While she was talking the Presi-

dent began to write. It was but a couple of lines, but it

was effectual. Fearing a scene, I took her into the ante-room,

telling her as we went along her son was safe. As soon as-

she fully understood it she broke out :' Oh ! this is the man

our newspapers said was a brute and a devil. Why, he is

the loveliest man I ever saw in my life ! He is an angel

!

He does the work of the Almighty, and stands in his place

on earth ! I could worship him for his goodness—my poor

Ben. is safe.' " No Democrat could be found in that family

afterwards. " There was a great deal of desertion about

that time. Some hard-hearted devils thought all should

have been shot, but then I had nothing to do with that. It

was Lincoln's business, and he did all those things as he

believed to be right. He was a great man. In his place,

perhaps, I would have done the same thing."

Of Mr. Stevens' religious views it is dif&cult to speak.

His mind was so constituted that he was very incredulous as

to anything in conflict with his own reason. But he wasnot altogether devoid of faith, for he was a fatalist in the

strongest sense of the term. In this belief he was as firmly

rooted as any follower of Mahomet could be. Those whoknew him best find it exceedingly hard to believe jhat he

ever gave an intelligent consent to be baptized in the Catho-

lic faith. Still Mr. Stevens was not an immoral man. Hewas no scoffer, he was never profane, was strictly temperate,

and in all things rigidly truthful. To say he had no vices,

would be to exalt him far above the great mass of mankind.

42

594: BIOGEAPHICAL HISTORY

In one respect, a man of his ardent temperament could

scarcely fail to err—that he was the cold-blooded destroyer

of female innocence, the heartless libertine, the hoary de-

bauchee which his enemies in times of great political excite-

ment represented him. to be, is a most malicious lie. That

he could, in any fair sense, be called a gambler, rests on no

better foundation.

The intellectual powers of Mr. Stevens were of a very

high order. His perceptions were quick, his reasoning

powers strong and accurate, and his memory almost unri-

valled. This last he always said was not a natural but an

•acquired faculty. This perhaps was partly true, though the

foundation on Avhich to build the superstructure must have

been the result of his fine mental organization. He could

remember all the evidence in the longest trial, and repeat

all the important parts with surprising accuracy. At some

period of bis life he must have been a very hard student, for

his knowledge seemed almost without limit. In reasoning

nipon a given proposition he scarcely seemed to think, his

deductions coming as though by intuition. His illustrations

were very seldom beautiful, but always apposite. They hit

the nail square on the head, and made further blows needless.

He could be exceedingly sarcastic, but he seldom employed

this weapon without just provocation. He was too kindly

disposed to use it in a manner not fairly legitimate. The

same limitation could scarcely be extended to his wit, for

that flowed out of itself, and had generally so much of good

natured mirth in it, that the person against whom it was

leveled could scarcely take offence. When the occasion

required it, he was sometimes highly eloquent, but as a

general thing it could not be counted as one of his character-

istics. He was not a man of taste. Had no fondness for,

and but little perception of, beauty in painting or architec-

ture. There was but little of the imaginative about him.

His mind was strongly practical, looking far more to the

substance than to the outward adorning of things. For

what is usually called "fine writing" he had a supreme con-

tempt. Nothing worried him more than the " highfalutin

"

of the war correspondents, in their descriptions of battles.


" Confound the scamp," was his exclamation after the battle

of Antietam, " why can't he tell us what they did, and leave

us to think how it looked ourselves."

Another branch of this defect and of much greater im-

portance, was his almost total want of creative power. Henever originated anything, but he had the power, in wonder-

ful perfection, of taking hold of other men's ideas, stripping

them of every thing superfluous, leaving nothing but the

useful and practical, and presenting them so clearly and for-

cibly to the world, that their importance was immediately

recognized. So much was this the case, that every measure

he ever brought forward in his legislative career, had its

origin in the thought of some other man who, in nine casea

out of ten, would be unable to claim its paternity in the

new dress with which Stevens had invested it. It was from

this power that most of his strength as a lawyer was derived.

In citing authorities to sustain a legal position he would, in

a few words, bring out the meaning of the judge who wrote

it, much more clearly and far more forcibly than it had

before presented itself to the mind of its author. This,

together with the kindred faculty of seizing instantly upon

the turning point of the case, without any regard to the

quantity of legal rubbish accumulated around it, placed him

in the very first rank of the greatest minds that ever ap-

peared at the bar. This power of concentrating the force of

his case in a few sentences, together with the perfect control

which he had acquired over his temper, made him almost

always successful. His tactics were to waste no strength

upon the outworks of his opponent's case, but to attack the

citadel at once. To sum up the whole in few words , it maybe truly said, that the clearness of his mental vision, his in-

nate reverence of right and love of justice, his wonderful

powers of memory, analysis and concentration, his truthful-

ness, his perseverance, his thorough detestation of every-

thing like trickery and meanness, his perfect fairness in all

his business transactions, and his generous kindness to all,

made him a man towering so high above the millions around

him, that no one who intelligently studies his character, can

fail to appreciate the magnitude of his greatness.

59(3 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

Thaddeus Stevens, iu the prime of life, was a remarkably

fine-looking man. None of his earlier pictures do him jus-

tice. Some of the oil pantings made towards the close of

his life, are nothing but caricatures. The engraving, bySartain, gives a very correct idea of his appearance whenabout fifty-five years old. The photograph by Eberman,

taken when Stevens was seventy-three, is perfect. He was

about five feet eleven inches high ; clear, ruddy, smooth

skin. His natural hair was chestnut, but he lost it from

brain fever when about thirty-five years old, and afterwards

always wore a wig. He had very fine teeth, was strongly built,

but not corpulent ; his appearance when the features were at

rest, was very dignified. When young, he was a great lover

of athletic sports, and could make a full hand at anything

where swiftness of foot was not required. He was a splendid

horseman, an excellent swimmer, and very fond of the chase.

When a young man, he would occasionally take a glass of

wine, but for many years of his life he abstained wholly

from alcoholic drinks. That he possessed great courage,

physical, as well as moral, is well known to all his intimate

friends. Naturally obstinate and combative, he had so

trained his mind as to despise all displays of pugnacity.

When assailed with foul language, by dirty blackguards, as

he often was about election time, he seldom took any out-

ward notice of it, though he felt all such attacks very keenly.

If he ever did reply to anything of this sort, it was in a

single sentence by which the assailant was completel}' over-

thrown. His repartees were always far more damaging than

any blow could have been;they were always put in such

shape that the dullest man in a crowd could never fail to feel

their force.

It has been already said, that he hated oppression and

injustice in all its forms. This was the ruling jjassion, and

exhibited itself in full force as he drew near his end. In

the principal cemeteries of Lancaster it was stipulated, by

charter, that no person of color should be interred within

their limits. He had bought lots in both cemeteries, but

when he received the deeds he sent them back, refusing to

be buried in the grounds of either. Shreiner's cemetery,


the smallest in tlie city, was free from this objection, and

there he was laid to rest, within a few feet of the public

schools, which his fearlessness and love for humanity estab-

lished in Pennsylvania forever.

For the reason above stated, he ordered in his will the

following should be inscribed upon his tomb :

" I repose in this quiet and secluded spot, not from any

natural preference for solitude, but finding other cemeteries

limited by charter rules as to race, I have chosen it that I

might be enabled to illustrate in my death the principles I

have advocated through a long life—eq\iality of man before

the Creator."

On December 17th, 1868. the House of Eepresentatives

met specially to express its respect for his memory. Men of

all parties, in most eulogistic terms united to do honor to

his name. Through the whole land it was felt that "a leader

had fallen in Israel." Party rancor was for a time forgotten,

and all men acknowledged the great value of his services to

the country. Those who knew him best grieved most for

his loss; but by none was he so sincerely mourned as by the

millions whom his labors had elevated from slavery to

freedom.

This imperfect memoir can be no more fitly ended than byquoting the concluding words of the eulogium delivered byMr. Maynard, of Tennessee, on the occasion above re-

ferred to

:

" As he was he will long be remembered. He has left his

impress upon the form and body of the times. Monumentswill be reared to perpetuate his name on the earth. Art

will be busy with her chisel and her pencil to preserve his

features and the image of his mortal frame. All will be done

that brass and marble and painted canvas will admit of

being done. The records of bis official life will remain in

your archives; our chosen words of commemoration will fall

into the channels of literature. But the influence of a gifted

mind, in moulding thought and giving direction to events, is

not measured by words of commemoration or by official

records. It is as measureless as the soul and enduring as

time. Long after the brass and marble and painted canvas


have disappeared, it will still remain transmitted from age to

age and through successive generations."'

STONER, Christian L., was born in the year 1823, at

Millersville, Lancaster county. Pa. He learned the trade of

a house carpenter in Lancaster city. He married Lizzie L.

Hostetter, daughter of Col. Jacob Hostetter, in 1847, and in

1857 was elected Clerk of the Orphans' Court, a position he

filled for three years.

STOEK, Henry, elected Prothonotary in 18-18.

STOEY, William, elected a member of the Legislature

in 178-1:.

STRICKLER, Jacob, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1797, 1798, 1799 and 1800.

STROHM, John, was born October 16th, 1793, in what

was then Little Britain township, in the county of Lancas-

ter, and State of Pennsylvania, but in that part of said town-

ship which now composes Fulton township. His parents

were of German descent ; his father having been brought to

this country from the kingdom of Wirtemburg by his parent

when about eight years of age. The grandfather having

died during the voyage, his remains were consigned to the

rolling waves of the boisterous Atlantic. The widow with

her small family (two sons and a daughter), were landed at

Philadelphia, and finally settled in Strasburg, this county.

The mother of the subject of this sketch was the daughter

of John Herr, a Menuonite preacher, who was also the grand-

father of another preacher, John Herr, better known as the

founder of the New or Reformed Mennonite Society. She

was of a religious disposition, and to her instructions and

admonitions the subject of this notice attributed the founda-

tion of that high appreciation of integrity and truth which

has characterized his conduct during his whole life.

He was first sent to school when about four years of age,

' The above sketch of Thaddeus Stevens, being the production of an

intimate friend and member of his own poUtical party, the author of

the Biographical History of Lancaster county desires it to be distinctly

understood, that he is in no wise to be considered responsible for any senti-

ment or conclusion contained therein, or estimate submitted, regarding

the deceased statesman.

OF LAXCASTEE COUXTT. 599I

and soon showed an aptitude for learning that few chil-

dren of that age exhibit. But the schools of that period

were of an inferior quality, and afforded none of the facili-

ties now attainable in acquiring the rudiments of education.

In the year 1804 his father purchased a farm in Strasburg-

township, anfl in the spring of 1805, when John was in his

twelfth year, removed thereto, and from that time he wassent to school but a few months during the winter. Con-sequently, he received at school nothing but the ordinary-

instruction which farmers' sons of that period and in that

vicinity usually attained. He was, however, very fond of

reading, and improved every opportunity of acquiring a

knowledge of men and things. From the -time he was seven

years of age, he read everything that came in his way, yet

even in this way his opportunities were very limited. Hisfather's library consisted principally of the Bible and Testa-

ment, and a few religious works in German, which he did

not then understand, and some miscellaneous works picked

up at sales. Amongst these was an old geography, giving a

description of the various countries and divisions of the

earth, an outline of the general principles of astronomy, the

relative position of the planets, their courses in their re-

spective orbits, &c. This book he studied carefully, and

from it derived his first knowledge of many things previ-

ously unknown to him, and which proved highly use-

ful in after life. His mother encouraged this avidity for

reading, by borrowing such books for him as she could pro-

cure amongst her friends. Another means of acquiring in-

formation and storing his mind with useful knowledge, was

found in the regular reading of a weekly newspaper to which

his father was a constant subscriber. From this he obtained

a knowledge of the leading events of the history of the world

at the time, and became initiated in the politics of our

own country in particular. In the beginning of the year

1809, at the solicitation of his teacher, he studied the theory

of surveying, but did not practice it to any extent for near

twenty years afterwards. About this time he commenced

purchasing books on his own account, and all the money he

could spare was invested in that description of property.


When about eighteen years of age Judge Clark, one of

the associate judges of the county, who made his acquaint-

ance at a public sale where he was clerking, wished to

engage him as a teacher in his neighborhood, but his parents

dissuaded him from accepting the offer. The following year

he accepted a proposition ftom Christian Barr, 9f Bart, (now

Eden township), to teach school for three months near Quar-

ryville. He found the business irksome, and at the expira-

tion of his term returned to his father to work on the farm.

Here he remained for near three years, when he again ac-

cepted a situation as a teacher in West Lampeter township,

upon the invitation of Christian Herr, of Pequea, who en-

gaged to raise a school for him, offered him boarding at his

own house, and remained his fast and ardent friend as long

as he lived. In this neighborhood he reuiained as a teacher for

five years, giving general satisfaction to his employers, and

by a strict attention to business and uniform good conduct

gained the confidence and esteem of all his acquaintances.

In 1817 he married the eldest daughter of John Herr,

(limeburner), aud commenced housekeeping in the neighbor-

hood of his school. In 1821 he quit teaching school and

commenced farming, as he always had a strong predilection

for the occupation of a farmer. In 1830 his name was first

brought before the public as a candidate for the Legislature,

but his friends did not succeed in getting him settled on the

ticket. The support he received encouraged his friends to

bring his name forward the ensuing year, (1831), when he

was settled and elected. The anti-Masonic excitement was

then in full vigor, and Stfohm was elected as an anti-Mason

;

but by prudent conduct and courteous demeanor' he main-

tained his principles and those of his party, without unneces-

sarily giving offence to any, and enjoyed the gbod-will and

esteem of many of the fraternity. He was reelected to the

Legislature in the years 1832 and 1833, and in 1834 was

elected to the Senate for a term of four years, that being

the extent of the Senatorial term under the old constitution.

In 1838 he was reelected to the Senate for a second term

of four years, making in all eleven consecutive years in

which he was a member of the State Legislature, three years


in the House of Eepresentatives and eight years in the

Senate. In 1842 he was elected Speaker of the Senate, the

duties of which he executed with so much good judgment

and impartiality, that there never was an appeal taken from

his decision. In 18-44: he was elected a member of Congress

from his native county, and in 1845 took his seat in that

body. In 1846 he was reelected, his term expiring on the

4th of March, 1849, when General Taylor was inaugurated

president. In 1851 he was the candidate of the Whig jDarty

for canal commissioner, then one of the most important

oiBces in the State. The Democratic party proved too strong

on that occasion, and his opponent, Seth Clover, was elected.

In 1848 Mr. Strohm was one of the senatgrial delegates to the

national convention at Baltimore, when General Zachary

Taylor was nominated as the Whig candidate for President

;

in 1852 he was a member of the national convention at

Baltimore, which nominated Gen. Scott as a candidate for

the Presidency, and in 1869 he was a member of the State

convention at Philadelphia, which re-nominated Governor

Geary for the office of Governor.

In his legislative capacity the subject of this imperfect

sketch was more noted for assiduous attention to business

and a watchful care of the interests of his constituents and

the community at large, than for brilliancy of talent or

oratorical display. He seldom addressed the legislative

bodies of which he was a faithful member in a pro-

tracted argument, but gave his views in plain but forci-

ble language; and if he did not succeed in convincing his

audience of the correctness of his views, he left no room to

doubt the sincerity of his convictions. During the eight

years in which he was a member of the Senate, he was chair-

man of the committee on roads and bridges and of the com-

mittee on claims, and for several years stood at the head of

both those committees ; and such was the confidence placed

in him by his compeers, that his reports and recommenda-

tions were generally accepted and his suggestions adopted.

Plain and simple in his habits, he was at all times easy of

access and disposed to accommodate, and to the extent of his

ability serve any person that required his aid. His first


wife died in 1832, and he remained a widower until 1857,

when he married a widow Witmer, with whom he is spend-

ing the evening of his days in the quiet contentment of

private life.

STROHM, John, jr., was elected County Commissioner

in the year 1867.

STUBBS, Jeremiah Brown, M. D., was born in Little

Britain, (now Fulton) township, Lancaster county, Pennsyl-

vania, on the 18th of April, 1804. He was the second son

of Isaac and Hannah Stubbs, both descendants of early

settlers in that neighborhood. Isaac Stubbs, his father, was

a stone mason, and worked at the trade occasionally. Hetook more delight in perusing the contents of books, and in

imparting to his children the rudiments of an English edu-

cation, (at least as far as he was capable), than to accumulate

wealth by a close adherence to his occupation or by any

other manual labor.

When Jeremiah was three years old his parents removed

to Harford county, Maryland, having purchased a small

farm near the "Rocks of Deer creek." Here the family re-

sided until the year 1821, when they returned to Lancaster

county to reside upon a farm near Peach Bottom. This

was jointly inherited by the father and mother. In all these

paternal migrations the older children accompanied their

parents, and rendered all the assistance of which they were

able.

After the return of the family to Lancaster county, Jere-

miah determined to commence business for himself, and with

this object in view entered a mercantile establishment in

the city of Baltimore. Disliking the business, in the course

of a few months he returned home. Receiving the encour-

agement of his maternal grandfather, Jeremiah Brown, (of

whom he always retained a grateful remembrance), he was

induced to study and enter one of the learned professions.

With no advantages of a preparatory education, other than

instructions received from a kind parent, and the limited

attainments obtained by a few years attendence at the public

schools of an early period, he entered upon the study of

medicine in the year 182i. He read under direction of Dr.


Vincent King, a well-known practitioner of southern Lan-

caster county ; attended two full courses of lectures at tte

Jefferson Medical College, of Philadelphia, and graduated in

the class of March 8th, 1827. Soon after graduating he

located in the village of Eising Sun, Cecil county, Maryland,

where he practiced his profession for nine years. During

his residence in Cecil county, he was elected a member of

the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Maryland. His member-

ship of this body commenced September 9th, 1827. At that

time a physician practicing in the State of Maryland, could

not collect a fee unless he was a member of this medical or-

ganization, and no one became a member thereof unless he

submitted to a rigid examination, and was recommended as

worthy by a committee appointed for that purpose.

On the 25th of February, 1836, Dr. Stubbs was married

to Eachel H., eldest daughter of Timothy Kirk, esq., of

Oxford, Chester county, formerly a member of the Legisla-

ture of Pennsylvania, and then an active business citizen of

that vicinity. Previous to his marriage he purchased the

farm and good-will of Dr. John K. Sappington, of Little

Britain, Lancaster county. Eemoving to this place he re-

sumed the practice of medicine, which he continued with

success to the time of his decease—-a period of twenty-

six years. For a long time after he located in Lancaster

county, there was, with one exception, no physician in active

practice within ten miles. In these early days of his medi-

cal career, his labors were unceasing and at times exceed-

ingly arduous. Possessing a comparatively strong constitu-

tion and determined will, he was enabled to do herculean

duty, practising his profession throughout a section of

country many miles in extent.

On the 14th of February, 1844, he was elected a memberof the Lancaster city and county medical society, and at

one time was president of that body. He was elected to

represent it as a delegate in the American Medical Associa-

tion, and attended in this capacity its meetings at Boston, in

1849 ; Eichmoud, 1852 ; New York, 1853, and Philadelphia,

1855. In the fall of 1847 he was elected a member of the

House of Eepresentatives of Pennsylvania, by the Whigs of

60-i BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

Lancaster county, and was reelected in 18-48. During his

first term he served on tlae committee of education, and in

the second was placed on the committee of ways and means,

and upon banks, besides several special committees. TheHouse was strongly Democratic during the session of 1848;

nevertheless Dr. Stubbs, by^'his plain and unassuming man-

ners, made many friends and received numerous iavors from

his political opponents. During his service at Harrisburg,

various expedients were devised by different members of

the ways and means committee, to raise revenue to replenish

the State treasury, and at the same time not increase the

taxes of the working classes of the commonwealth. Being

a member of the committee to devise means of revenue, he

suggested the propriety of taxing the sales and manufacture

of quack nostrums, which were then meeting with an im-

mense sale throughout all parts of the State. For manyyears he was well acquainted with the fact, that thousands of

dollars were made by charlatans, by imposing on the igno-

rant in medical knowledge. All honest trades and profes-

sions were taxed, but the manufacturer and vender of patent

medicines went free. Receiving the assurance of a majority

of the Legislature and the Governor, that to tax this class

was just, he consulted with some of the learned of the pro-

fession and drew up a bill, which became a law. Its passage

created a unanimous protest on behalf of all the semi-

medical men, quacks and medicine venders in the State, and

the vengeance of the whole fraternity was threatened against

the author of the bill. In Lancaster county their influence

was brought to bear against him, but rivalled nothing.

While a member of the Legislature, Ihe took great interest

in all subjects pertaining to the education of the children of

the State, as well as to keeping up the standard of the pro-

fession of which he became in early life a member. For

professional services rendered to half of the legislative body,

he was presented with a handsome testimonial on behalf of

the members of both political parties. Having served the

customary two terms in the State Legislature, he returned to

his farm and continued the practice and instruction of stu-

dents of medicine. During his professional career, seven

OF LAXCASTEK COUNTY. 605

young men read under his direction and graduated. Ofthese only three survive. For several years previous to his

death, Dr. Stubbs had frequent paroxysms of disease, that

he was well aware would finally prove fatal. Nevertheless,

he continued to work and study to the last. On the -ith and

5th of July, 1862, he was attacked with angina pectoris, but

recovered and seemed to improve until the night of the 9th,

wheu he had a relapse and died on the morning of the 10th,

aged 58 years.

Dr. Stubbs was a member—by birthright—of the society

of Friends ; but a few years after attaining manhood, by his

own request, ceased to be connected with that society.

No man was more familiar with the various tenets and doc-

trines advanced and believed in by different religious bodies.

He appreciated works of a theological and scientific nature,

was conversant with the scripture, especially those books

attributed to Job and Paul, which he considered to far exceed

the others in sublimity and literary excellence. In his opin-

ion, the " Sermon on the Mount" with its golden rule, was

sufficient in itself unto salvation ; and to believe in and prac-

tice the truths there inculcated, was paramount to a blind

adherence to the creeds of Calvin or Luther.

With him the moral law was the basis of true religion,

and upon this he was willing to rest ail hope of a peaceful

hereafter. To the theory and science of medicine he wasstrongly devoted. A constant reader, he always kept pace

with the progress of the age, and was ready to avail himself

of all the recent discoveries in medicine and surgery,

never permitting a remedy of value in alleviating humansuffering to escape his notice. His varied and extensive

reading on subjects appertaining to his profession, was at-

tested by a valuable library of medical works.

Chirurgery, or that part of the science belonging properly

to the surgeon, he did not fancy. His sympathetic temper-

ment forbade it. His province or forte was the duties per-

taining to the physician. Few men were better versed ia

etiology, or the causes of disease ; and indiag nosis he hadfew equals. To be familiar with disease sufficient to enable

one to recognize it at all times, in its different chases, is one


of the most difficult parts of the science. In this Dr. Stubbs

was an adept, and hence his skill and success in treatment.

To him the oath of Hippocrates, and the code of ethics of the

medical profession, were laws to be adhered to with a strict-

ness bordering on Persian and Median tenacity. To violate

them, was a breach of professional honor not to be tolerated.

Quacks and medical pretenders of all descriptions met

with no encouragement at his hands. To younger members

of the profession, he was ever willing to render assistance and

counsel. In his business transactions he was exact. Start-

ing in life poor, with few friends, and an abundance of envi-

ous relations, he made all he possessed. An honest, poor

man, never appealed to him in vain. To him he would ren-

der needed assistance at all times. He knew what it was to

be poor and depend on others for aid. In his latter years

he often remarked, that it was a great source of consolation

to him to know that he had repaid all favors ever extended

to him, and to feel that he never knowingly took a cent of

any one; and pecuniarily, he owed no man, living or dead.

STYER, David, was elected County Commissioner in the

year lS-i9.

SUMMY, Aaron H., was elected a member of the Legis-


SWAER, Hiram B., was born March 9th, 1821, in Lon-

donderry township, Lebanon county, and is a descendant of

one of those early settlers of Lancaster county whom reli-

gious persecution drove from the.\r native homes. He was

educated in the common schools of his district, afterwards

went to Mr. Beck's academy at Litiz, and also to the academy

at Germantown. He was a student of the Abbeville Insti-

tute, near Lancaster, for some time. Having finished his

education before his arrival at the age of sixteen, he entered

as accountant in a large commercial house in Philadelphia,

of which sometime afterwards he became a partner, but with

a growing dislike for the mercantile business. Cherishing

rather a fondness for the excitements of political life, in

1844 he abandoned commercial pursuits, and entered as a

student of law, the office of Geo. W. and Levi Kline, of

Lebanon, Pa., January 1st, 1845. He was admitted to the


bar April Ist, 184:7. His strong attachment for his ancestral

home, led him to select Lancaster as the place where he

should pursue his profession, and on the 1st of May, 1847,

he opened an office in Lancaster. Soon after coming to the

bar he became active in politics, and in 1853 was chosen

chairman of the Democratic county committee, a position he

held upwards of ten years. He was a member of the Lan-

caster school board for a period of eight or ten years. LTpon

the death of Henry M. Eeigart, postmaster of Lancaster, in

the autumn of 1856 he was appointed postmaster in his

stead, and in 1857 reappointed by Mr. Buchanan to the same

position, which he held during the four years of his admin-

istration. Mr. Swarr has frequently been a delegate of his

party to State conventions, and was a delegate to the

national convention in 1856, when James Buchanan was

nominated, and in this convention he acted a somewhat con-

spicuous part, this being required of him as the representa-

tive of the district in which the candidate for the Presidency

had his home. He was afterwards a delegate to the national

convention at Charleston, in 1860, and also, afterwards, at

the adjourned convention at Baltimore, in the same year.

He was in 1868 the candidate of the Democratic party for

Congress in Lancaster county. During all the time he has

been steadily engaged in the business of his profession, and

has always secured the confidence of a very considerable

and influential class of clients. He enjoyed the life-long

confidence of James Buchanan, and stood so high in his

estimation as a legal practitioner as to be appointed by himone of his executors, and also trustee for the execution of

several important trusts created by the will of the late ex-

President.

SWIFT, Joseph, was born January 1-lth, 1760, and was

the progenitor of the Swift family of Lancaster county. His

father, Joseph Swift, was a merchant of Philadelphia, of

English descent, who was born June 2ith, 1731, and died

December 26th, 1806. Joseph Swift, sr. and William Westpurchased at sheriff's sale in 1772, the large farm of 374

acres, for £805, Pennsylvania currency, as the property of

Eobert Fulton, father of the distinguished Eobert Fulton,


and the same upon which the latter was born. Joseph

Swift, jr., settled upon the property so purchased, and was a

leading farmer in his day. His son, John W. Swift, yet owns

part of the old Fulton farm, and occupies the house in which

Eobert Fulton was born.

T.

TAYLOR FAMILY.* Isaac Taylor, sr., was among the

early settlers of Lancaster county, and according to

his family tradition, was the son of Christopher Taylor,

who emigrated from England in 1682, and purchased 5000

acres of land from William Penn before his arrival in the

province of Pennsylvania. Penn'a Archives, vol. i., p. 4:1. Hewas a member of William Penu's first council in 1682. Isaac

Taylor was born soon after the arrival of his jjarents. Hewas a surveyor, a magistrate, and a member of the assembly

for the county of Chester, prior to the year 1722. He was

arrested and imprisoned by the authorities of Maryland

while surveying lands near the Maryland line. Colonial

Eecords, vol. iii., p. 212. He was again appointed by the

Executive Council, in the year 1726, to be a justice of Ches-

ter county. He was also appointed by the council, in the

year 1718, one of the commissioners to lay out the old Phil-

adelphia road from Conestoga to the Biiindywine. He made

the original surveys of a large portion of the land in the

eastern and southern sections ofSLancaster county. He sur-

veyed the Christiana tract of 800 acres, in Sadsbury town-

ship, on the 27th of August, 1709, as appears by the records

of the Surveyor General's office. He was the original pat-

entee of a tract of land directly in the Gap, partly in Salis-

bury and part in Sadsbury. He erected the first stone house

at the Gap, aboat the year 17-17, which was built three

stories high, and is standing to the present day. It is nowowned by George H. Eutter, and kept as a hotel. He was a

worthy and serviceable member of the society of Friends,

and departed this life at an advanced age, in the year 1756.

"Contributed by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbury.


Isaac Taylor, jr., son of Isaac Taylor, sr., was united

in marriage in the year 1761 witli Mary, the daughter of

Thomas Bulla, sr., of Chester county. He resided manyyears at the residence of his father at the Gap, and was an

esteemed minister of the gospel in the society of Friends,

and served also as the clerk of the monthly meeting at old

Sadsbury.

Jacob Taylor, grandson of Isaac Taylor, sr., was

appointed by the yearly meeting of Friends in Philadelphia,

about the year 1800, to superintend the civilization and

education of the Cattaraugus Indians, in western New York,

which office he filled with credit to himself and to the society

for about forty years.

A daughter of Isaac Taylor, sr., was married about the

year 1745 to Nathaniel Newlin, of Chester county, some of

whose descendants in the fifth generation are: Isaac Walker,

esq. ; and Mary, thn wife of Samuel Slokom, of Sadsbury

;

Deborah, the wife of Henry Pownall, of Bart; and Asahel

Walker, of Lamborntown, Chester county, and their de-

scendants.

THOMPSON, Andrew, was elected a member of the

Legislature in 1842.

u.UEBAN, Lewis, was elected a member of the Legislature

in the year 1843.

Y.VAEMANN, Hattil V.,* was born in Ireland, and was there

united in marriage with Abigail, the daughter of Wil-

liam and Joan Sandwith, of Bellinauch, in the county of

Wexford, where he was held in good esteem as a serviceable

member of the church, from which place he emigrated (with

his wife) to this country, and settled in the township of Lea-

*Contributed by Isaac Walker, of Sadsbxiry.

43


cock, in this county, in the year 1728, where he purchased

600 acres of land, and a meeting of worship was authorized

by the society of Friends to be held at his house in the year

1732. He was on the first grand jury that was drawn for

Lancaster county, and held various other public and private

trusts, being a man of good education and possessed of rare

abilities. He was the first clerk of the monthly meeting

held at Sadsbury. He left no sons, but a number of daugh-

ters, who were intermarried into the most respectable fami-

lies of Lancaster county, and their descendants are both

numerous and highly respectable. He was the great grand-

father of Judge Brinton, of Paradise. The old homestead,

near Soudersburg, is still owned by another of his great

grandsons, William Brinton, sr., of Sadsbury, in which

township a large number of his descendants of the fifth gen-

eration now reside, including all that highly respectable

family of the Brintons, and a number of the Pownalls, the

Moores, and some of the Coopers, of Sadsbury.

VAENES, JOHX, was elected County Commissioner in

the year 1844.

VONDERSMITH, Daniel, appointed Clerk of the Or-

phans' Court in 1835.

VONDERSMITH, D. B., elected Associate Judge of the

several courts of Lancaster in 1851.

w.TT7ADE, Andrew, a citizen of Elizabethtown, was elected

\\ a member of the Legislature in the year 1849.

WALKEE, AsAHEL, of Sadsbury township, was born

at the Valley Forge, in the year 1746. He was the

eon of Isaac, and the grandson of Lewis Walker, whoemigrated from the principality of Wales, about the year

1700, and purchased a large tract of land from William

Penn at the Valley Forge, where, it was said, William Penn

visited him the following year. He erected a commodious

stone edifice thereon, at which a meeting of the society of


Friends was establislied in the year 1713. The same house

was occupied by General Washington as his headquarters

during the Eevolutionary war, and although it has under-

gone repairs, it is standing as a part of the family mansion

at the present time, 1872. The land is now divided into

about ten farms, and is still held by his descendants. His

grandson, Asahel Walker, was united in marriage with Ann,

the daughter of the well-known James Moore, of Sadsbury,

in the year 1769, and afterwards purchased a tract of land in

kjadsbury which had belonged to his father-in-law, and which

had been taken up by William Penn in the year 1700, while

on his visit at the Gap, and which he had surveyed off for

his own use. At the age of 66 years, he divided his land

between his sons Isaac and Asahel, which is now owned and

occupied by his grandsons, Isaac and Asahel G. Walker.

After thus adjusting his temporal matters, he retired from

the cares of the world and spent the remainder of his life

(over a quarter of a century), in promoting the cause of his

Divine Master, and became a worthy minister of the gospel

truths in the society of Friends. During no period of his

life did he seek public distinction;yet he had charge of

various important public and private trusts for members of

different religious persuasions, so that during his whole life

he was truly a worthy and faithful member of the society,

so that he may be classed with the good, and remembered

with the just. He departed his well spent life in the year

1838, in the 93d year of his age.

His descendants are still numerous and respectable. Be-

sides the Walkers are included some of the Moores, Pown-ells. Coopers, Linvilles, Ellmakers, Dillers, Worsts, Hersheys,

Mrs. Pusey Barnard, Mrs. Mary L. Eoberts, of Texas, the

Sprouls, Heustons, and some of that ancient and highly re-

spectable family of the Trouts, of the township of Bart. His

youngest living grandson is the well-known Joseph G.

Walker, esq., of the Gap, who was married in the year 1856

to Lucy H., daughter of Bsaias and Sarah Ellmaker, of Earl

township.

WALKEE, Captain Joseph, of Sadsbury, was the son of

John Walker who emigrated from Wales, and who was the


original purchaser of a tract of land called the Avondale

farm, in the year 1743. Captain Joseph Walker was a

serviceable man in the Eevolutionary war. He was first en-

gaged in transporting arms and ammunition for the Conti-

nental army. He afterwards raised a company of militia in

Sadsbury and Bart, of which company he was chosen captain,

and was engaged in the service. Colonial Eecords, vol. xiv.,

p. 631. Dr. Michener's History, p. 397. After the war he

was appointed one of the justices of the peace for Lancaster

county, which office he filled with credit for the space of

about twenty years. He also purchased and had patented

the farm called McKeansville, now owned by Adam Rutter.

The Avondale farm is now owned by Joseph D. Pownall,

and by a recent survey and alteration of the line, this prop-

61 ty is now in Bart. The descendants of Joseph "Walker

mostly reside in the southern parts of Lancaster county.

'WALKER, Isaac, was born in the year 1808, in Sads-

bury township, Lancaster county. He was for some years

engaged in the mercantile business, but latterly has followed

agricultural pursuits. He is noted for his rare knowledge

of matters pertaining to the early settlement of Lancaster

and Chester counties, and has written considerably of the

early local history of the southeastern section of the county.

He erected, in 1872, a~\monument over the Penn Spring, at

the Gap, in memory of the beneficent founder of the State

of Pennsylvania.

WALLACE, JoHX, was a member of the Legislature in

the year 1822.

'Isaac Walker is a sou of Isaac and Deborah Walker, a grandson of

Asahel Walker, the first, of Sadsbury, and the great great-grandson of

Lewis Walker, at Valley Forge ; and also the great great-grandson of

Audi-ew jMoore the first settler at Christiana and Penningtonville, and

who established the first meeting of the Friends at old Sadsbury in the

year 1724, and also of Jeremiah Starr, one of the first settlers of NewGarden, who was a prominent member of the Provincial Assembly in

1740, and of the well-known Guyou Miller, the first settler at Keunet

Square. He is also the great great-grandsou of Isaac Taylor, the first,

who was a surveyor in the service of William Penn, and of his sons, pro-

prietaries and governors of Pennsylvania ; who made original surveys

of a large portion of the land in the eastern section of Lancaster

county and the western parts of Chester ; who was also the original


"WALTON, JOHX C, was elected a member of the Legis-


WAEFEL, Jacob E., eldest sou of John and Maria

Warfel, was born July 21st, 1826. He early in life dis-

played considerable talent for drawing and painting, so muchso that some of his work attracted the favorable attention of

that eminent artist, Thomas Sully, of Philadelphia, whohonored him with his friendship and gave him much valua-

ble instruction. Mr. Warfel's prospects for honor and fame

were very flattering, when his health failed, and after a pro-

tracted illness he died June 2d, 1855. He, however, had

executed a number of valuable portraits, which now adorn

the parlors of the fortunate possessors.

WAEFEL, John, was elected a member of the Legisla-

ture in the year 1842.

WARFEL, John B., second son of John and Maria War-fel, was born in Paradise township, Lancaster county, Sep-

tember 19th, 1830. In early life he worked at the blacksmith

trade. When twenty years of age he entered the Lewisburg

University, and remained there two years. After this he

taught public school, until the spring of 185-4, when he com-

menced farming, and in connection therewith the practice of

surveying and conveyancing. In 1855 he was elected a

justice of the peace for Paradise township, and was reelected

in 1860. He also served for several years as district super-

intendent of public schools. In la63 he gave up farming

and resigned his several positions, to take an appointment

in the pension office, at Washington, D. C. In 1865 he

entered Columbia college, as a law student, and graduated

purchaser of all the land in the Gap, and erected the first stone house at

that place, which is three stories high, and is standing and occui>ied at

the present time, (1ST2)

; and who was also a magistrate and a member of

the Provincial Assembly at different times, for the county of Chester

from 1705 up to 1723. Isaac Walker is also the great-grandson of jSTa-

thaniel Newlin, who was a member of the convention which framed the

old Constitution of Pennsylvania, and of .Joseph Dickinson, one of the

eai'ly settlers of Pequea Valley, who was joined in marriage with Eliza-

beth, the daughter of Guyon Miller ; also the great-grandson of the well-

known James Moore, of Sadsbury, who emigrated from Ireland in the

year 1723, and erected a large mill Sn the Octoraro, below Christiana,

which is stiU standing and in use at the present time.


in the dass of 1867. The same year he was admitted to

practice in the supreme court of that city, and in the several

courts of Lancaster county. In April, 1867, Mr. Warfel

received the appointment of Assessor of Internal Revenue

for the 9th Pennsylvania district, (Lancaster county), which

position he continued to fill until removed, May 1st, 1869.

The same year he was elected State Senator, receiving the

largest popular vote of any candidate voted for at that

election.

WARFEL, John, son of Jacob and Mary Warfel, grand-

son of Henry and Margaret Warfel, and great-grandson of

George Warfel, one of the earliest settlers in Martic town-

ship, and from whom, it is believed, all of the name in Lan-

caster county have descended, was born in Strasburg (now

Paradise) township, March 22d, 1788. His father died in

1810, and his mother afterwards married Henry Gara, from

which connection H. S. Gara, esq., of Lancaster city, and the

Hon. Isaac B. Gara, of Erie, Pennsylvania, were offspring.

John Warfel married Maria Eshleman, daughter of Jacob

Eshleman, of Paradise township. He was appointed recorder

of deeds for Iiancaster county in 1836, by Governor Joseph

Ritner, and held that position for three years. He died May25th, 1846.

WATSON, Nathaniel, was elected a member of the

State Senate in the year 1810.

WEAVER, Prof. Elias B., was born in East Earl town-

ship, Lancaster county, February 1st, 1831. He is of Ger-

man Menuonite ancestry, his father being Jonathan Weaver,

a plain and unassuming farmer of his district. The subject

of our sketch attended school taught by his cousin, John B.

Good,' to whose suggestions it was chiefly owing that he early

became animated with a thirst for learning. His father,,

halving no idea of the advantages of education, did not favor

anything in this direction, and he was instructed by his

cousin in some of the advanced branches after the dismissal

of the rest of the school, as a public prejudice existed

' John B. Good, esq., is now a member of the Lancaster bar, whose

high sense of honor and scrupulous observance of his word are marked

characteristics.


against the study of such. This even was shared by his

father. But the industrious boy had the capacity, and with

application (which he possessed in a remarkable degree) he

made rapid progress and soon laid the foundation of a goodEnglish education. By the time he attained the age of

eighteen or nineteen he made application to become the

teacher of the same school in which he had obtained his

instruction, and was successful. He continued teaching for

several years, and expended considerable of his money so

earned in the purchase of books, and thus laid the foundation

of a library. Having made the acquaintance of J. P. Wick-ersham, at the first " Teachers' Institute," held in Fulton

Hall, in January, 1853, he attended during the following

summer as a student at the Marietta academy, then taught

by the last named gentleman. After attending at this insti-

tution for some sessions, Mr. Weaver was chosen principal of

the high school of New Holland, where he taught for some

time. In 1855 he attended the first session at the Normal

Institute, at Millersville, and in the spring of 1856 was

elected assistant professor of mathematics in the Normal

School at Millersville, then permanently established. This

position he filled up till 1859, when he was elected professor

of natural sciences in the same institution. This oSice he

held up to the period of his death, which event occurred

August 6th, 1863.

As a general scholar. Prof Weaver had few superiors

among the men of his years. He was able to read Latin,

French and German, and had also acquired some knowledge

of Greek. He was particularly at home in the German, and

had read considerably of its classic literature; he had even

essayed some translations of portions of celebrated Germanauthors. But it was in mathematics that he especially

excelled. Few men in our country understood mathematics

better than he, or could solve more abstruse problems. Asa teacher before his classes, he ranked amongst the most

solid. Having clear ideas himself, he insisted upon his

pupils acquiring a similar knowledge, and few teachers have

been able to send forth students better versed in the branches

of his department. He did not confine himself in his illus-

616 BIOGKAPHICAL HISTOET

trations to tlie simple text-books, but was fertile in the pre-

sentation of anything that would in any wise make the

subject of the lesson clearer to the apprehension of his pupils.

He was ever himself a diligent student, and when he dis-

covered anything new to his own mind, he was anxious to

impart the same to his pupils. With his scholars he was

ever a great favorite. His early demise was greatly lamented

by the students and teachers of the institution in which he

had so faithfully served as an instructor.

WEBB, James, was a member of the Legislature^ in the

years 1747, 1748, 1750, 1755, 1756, 1757, 1758, 1759, 1760,

1761, 1762, 1764, 1765, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1772, 1773,

1774, 1775 and 1777.

WEBB, WiLLiAji, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1790,^ 1805 and 1806.

WELSH, General Thomas, was for years a resident of

Columbia, Lancaster county, Pa. He enlisted for and served

with distinction in the war with Mexico. Upon the break-

ing out of the rebellion, he was among the very first whoresponded to the call of the President. He raised a companyin the neighborhood of Columbia and was chosen captain of

the same, and upon the organization of the regiment (the

2d Pennsylvania volunteers of the three months service) was

elected lieutenant colonel. At the close of this service he

again entered the field and was appointed colonel of the 45th

regiment. This regiment was assigned to General Buruside's

department, and took part in all the brilliant engagements

of the campaign. In the engagements of South Mountain

and Antietam, he commanded a brigade and displayed re-

markable abilities for command on both these fiercely con-

tested battle fields. ' To him has been accredited the honor

of having turned the fortunes of the day at South Mountain.

His soldierly qualities commended him to the attention of

' From the settlement of Pemisylvania up to the adoption of the con-

stitution of 1 789, tlie Legislature of the State was entitled the General

Assembly.

^ It is to be borne in mind that in enumerating offices held by indi-

viduals sketched in this work, the year of their election is generally

given instead of that of their service.

OF LANCASTER GOUXTT. 617

Oeneral Burnside, and at his eager suggestion, as well as

that of General Wilcox, he was appointed a brigadier general

by President Lincoln. He was transferred to the west, his'

brigade accompanying him. He died at Cincinnati, August

14th, 1863. He proved himself a thorough soldier in every

military position he occupied, and his promotion was one

richly merited.

'WHITE, Henry M., was elected a member of the Legis-


WHITE, William, was elected sheriff" of Lancaster

county in the year 182-4.

WHITEHILL, James, son, of John Whitehill, was a

member of the Legislature in the year 1793. He served as

a member of Congress from 1813 till 1814, when he resigned.

He ,was a merchant of Strasburg, and a man of much in-

fluence in the community. He also presided for a time as

associate judge of the courts of Lancaster county. He was

reelected to the Legislature in 1831.

WHITEHILL, John, a citizen of Salisbury township, and

a leading and influential man in his day. He was descended

from Scotch-Irish ancestry. He was a member of the

Legislature in the years 1780, 1781 and 1782. He also

presided as associate judge of the courts of the county. Heserved two terms in Congress, from 1803 until 1807; he

was again reelected to the Legislature in the 1809.

WHITEHILL, John, jr., was elected county commis-

sioner in the year 1801.

WHITELOCK, Isaac, was a member of the Legislature

in the year 1772.

WHITESIDE, John, a leading citizen of Lancaster county

for many years. He was an influential Democrat, and was

elected a member of the Legislature in the years 1810 and

1811. He served in the national Congress from 1815 till

1819. In 1821 he was appointed register of wills, which posi-

tion he held for some time. In 1825 he was again reelected

to a seat in the Legislature. He owned and kept the Foun-

tain Inn, in South Queen street, which for many years wasthe Democratic headquarters.


WHITESIDE, William, son of Jolin Whiteside, a mem-ber of the Lancaster bar, was appointed Eegister of Wills

in 1830, an office he held for six years.

WHITSON, George, was elected Eecorder of Lancaster

county in 1860. In 1870 he was elected to the House of

Representatives of Pennsylvania.

WICKERSHAM, Professor James P., State Superin-

tendent of public schools of Pennsylvania, was born in Ches-

ter county, where his ancestry have resided since the first

settlement of that section of the State. Our subject wasplaced at school at an early age, and from a boy was noted for

the rapid progress he made in his studies. After attaining a

somewhat thorough knowledge of the rudimentary branches

of study, he entered the Unionville Academy of Chester

county, where he remained during six sessions. In this time

he studied mathematics, natural science and history, as like-

wise the French and Latin languages. He now inclined in

his mind to study a profession, but this not meeting the

approbation of his father, the latter gave him the choice

either to assist him upon his farm, or for the future to carve

his course \by the dint of his own exertions. The latter

alternative Was accepted, and shortly afterwards he engaged

himself as an assistant teacher in the same institution in

which he had pursued his studies, and for no other salary

than the instruction he should receive. The following win-

ter of 1841^2, he taught a country school at twenty dollars

per month, and then returned to school himself, and thus he

continued alternately teaching and studying until the year

1845, when he became principal of the Marietta Academy,

Lancaster county. Pa. This position he obtained when but

twenty years of age, and continued to perform the duties

thereof for the period of nine years. In the year 184:8 he

married a daughter of Dr. Isaac Taylor, of Chester county.

In 1854 he was elected the first County Superintendent of

common schools of Lancaster county, and because he de-

clined serving for less, received five hundred dollars more

than any other superintendent in Pennsylvania. He imme-

diately entered with great zeal into the work of elevating the

schools of the county up to a higher standard of perfection.

OF LANCASTEK COUNTY. 619

Coming to perceive the advantages resulting from the asso-

ciation of teachers together in county institutes then budding

into notice, he conceived the idea of enlarging this plan of

teaching, and proposed to give instruction of this charac-

ter for a period of some months at the Millersville Academy,

then taught by M. L. Hobbes. This may somewhat be re-

garded as one of the inceptive steps which led to the estab-

lishment of the Normal school at this place. The move-

ment thus inaugurated was steadily onward, and was gather-

ing strength in its course, and in 1856 Professor Stoddard,

the first President of the institution, was released from his

charge, and J. P. Wickersham, our subject, chosen to suc-

ceed him as head of the first Normal school of Pennsylvania.

He thereupon resigned his position as Superintendent of the

schools of Lancaster county, and vigorously entered upon

the discharge of his duties as President of the new Normal

Pennsylvania college. This post he filled with ef&cieucyup

to the year 1866, when he resigned with the view of making

a trip to Europe. Circumstances interposing, and his visit

to the old world being delayed, he was in the meantime ten-

dered by Governor Curtin, the position of State Superin-

tendent of common schools, a position he accepted. He was

again reappointed by Governor Geary, and his second con-

firmation by the Senate was unanimous, every one of the

thirty-three Senators voting in his favor. This position he

has continued to hold up to the present time.

During Prof. Wickersham's presidency of the Millersville

Normal School he issued two volumes: one on "School

Economy," and the other on "Methods of Instruction." Theformer of these was, in the year 1870, translated by the

government of the Argentine Republic into the Spanish lan-

guage, and established as a text-book in the schools of that

Spanish republic. He was from the earliest inauguration of

teachers' institutes one of the warm friends of this system

of imparting instruction, and but few educators in the coun-

try have attended more of these and other meetings of like

character. He has for years been recognized as standing

amongst the prominent American educators, and at their

county. State and national assemblages he has been repeat-


edly honored by them with positions of rank and distinction.

In 1868 he received the distinguished consideration of being

invited by Sarmiento, president of the Argentine Eepublic,

to a position in his cabinet, to have charge of the educa-

tional interests of that country. This, however, he declined

accepting.

Prof Wickersham has ever been an industrious and inde-

fatigable laborer in the cause of general education, and has

been in the habit of writing considerably for magazines and

newspapers, articles chiefly of an educational character. Hehas fine command of the English language, and pens an

article in beautiful and rounded sentences, difficult to be ex-

celled. He is, in short, a fine writer. As soon as he (as a

partner,) came into possession of the Pennsylvania School

Journal, in 1870, the improvement was immediately visible

It rose to a scholarly rank at once, and has maintained this

grade up to the present. At the last commencement of

Lafayette college, Pennsylvania, the title of L.L.D. was con-

ferred upon him.

WILEY, John E., elected a member of the Legislature


WILEY, William B., is one of the leading aldermen of

Lancaster city, having filled this position from February,

1858. When young he learned the printing business with

Thomas Feran, and in 1845 became publisher of the Lan-

caster Democrat, till he sold out to J. Forsyth Carter. From1851 till October, 1855, he published the Lancasterian,

which he sold to George Sanderson. He was the printer of

the Peymsylvania SchoolJournal iroxa. 1852 up to 1869, and in

June of this latter year he began the publication of the Lan-

caster Bar. Mr. Wiley is endowed with considerable native

capacity, entertains very liberal and enlarged sentiments of

men and things, and possesses rare shrewdness and business

sagacity.

WILSON, John, was born in Amity township, Berks

county, on 21st August, A. D. 1792. He died at Eeams-

town, Lancaster county, on the 28th day of October, A. D.

1854. On his mother's side, whose maiden name was Dehart,

lie was a descendant of the " Boone" family, to which,

OF LANCASTER COUNI'Y. 621

" Daniel," the pioneer of Kentucky, gave celebrity. The

subject of this sketch emigrated to Reamstown in the year

1814 or 1815, where he resided until his death. With no

advantages of an early education, by industry he mastered

most of the branches of a polite education. He was one of

the first, if not the first, who opened an exclusively English

school, and taught with great success for mauy years, not

only school children, but young men and women, residing

in that then almost entirely German region. In the year

1825 he was commissioned a justice of the peace by Gov-

ernor Shulze, and at the same time commenced surveying

and scrivening in all its branches, which he followed with

success till his death. He, in addition, held many commis-

sions of honor and trust from the Governors of Pennsylva-

nia. He left a large family. He lies buried in the grave-

yard connected with the Reamstown Reformed and Lutheran

church. William R. Wilson, son of the above, is a well-

read and able attorney of the Lancaster bar.

WILLIAMS FAMILY. Robert, John and Thomas Wil-

liams, three brothers, were among the early and respectable

settlers of Sadsbury township. They emigrated to this

country when quite young, (whether with their mother is

not fully known.) They were enterprising, industrious, and

honorable young men. Robert and John Williams pur-

chased about 500 acres of land in the year 1710, about

one mile south of the Gap, from William Fishbourne,

who had been appointed a member of Governor Gordon's

Council in 1726. They were members of the old Presbyte-

rian church at Octoraro. They divided the tract of land

between them (Robert and John.) Robert afterwards par-

chased part of the Christiana tract, (known afterwards as the

Murray property), and now owned by Lindley Brown, esq.,

for his brother Thomas, who was killed by a wild bear.

John Williams built the old stone residence which is

standing to the present day on the land of A. C. Walker, and

which was afterwards the rendevous of the Doans and other

notorious characters during the last years of the Revolution.

He also built the old house, near the present residence of Isaac

Walker, of Sadsbury township, which was afterwards the


residence of James Knox said to be the grandfather of

James K. Polk, President of the United States. John Wil-

liams died in the year 1747, and his tombstone bears the

oldest date in the Presbyterian burying-ground at Octoraro.

He left a widow and an only daughter, who was married to

James Duff, and in the year 1759 they sold their property to

James Moore and removed to Virginia.

Robert Williams retained his part of the land, in addi-

tion to which his son Eobert purchased near 200 acres, that

on which stood the ancient village of the Shawana Indians,

the remains of which can be seen to the present day. His

son, Robert Williams, jr., was married about the year 1765

to Grace, daughter of John Bell, of Colerain, and sister of

Col. Patterson Bell and Montgomery Bell, of Tennessee.

She was also the sister of John Bell, jr., said to be the father

of John Bell, Senator of the United States, who removed to

Davidson county, Tennessee. After the decease of Robert

Williams, jr., and about the year 1792, was sold on his

premises, the last African slave that was ever sold at public

outcry in Sadsbury township, being a young female slave.

She was exposed for sale in the barn-yard along with the stock

cattle, and was purchased by Thomas Henderson, esq., for the

sum of £50, and remained a faithful servant for Mrs. Hender-

son during the remainder of her life. The Williams family

were among the first considerable money lenders of Sadsbury.

Robert Williams, sr., held an obligation against Isaac

Taylor, sr., about the middle of the last century for £200,

and various other obligations on different persons. His

grandson, the late John Williams, sr., secured a large dis-

tributive share out of the estate of his uncle Montgomery

Bell, of the State of Tennessee, shortly before the late civil

war, through the perseverance and assiduity of his friend

and relative (grand nephew), John B. Livingston, esq., a

member of the Lancaster bar. The Williams family have

been noted for their honesty and consistent integrity in the

community for one hundred and thirty years. James and

Zachariah B. Williams, the great great-grandsons of Eobert

Williams, sr., are the present holders of the land, and reside

on the property.


"WITMER, Abraham, was a member of the Legislature

in the year 1791.

WITMER, Daniel "W., was elected a member of the

Legislature in the years 1848 and 1854.

WITHER, John, was elected commissioner of Lancaster

county in the year 1847.

WITHERS, George, brother of Michael AVithers, was

a lieutenant in the Revolutionary army. He was born Sep-

tember 14th, 1747, and died May 23d, 1811. He was a farmer

of Strasburg township. He left two sons and two daughters.

Michael and George Withers, of Lancaster, are his sons.

WITHERS, George, a member of the Legislature in the

year 1820, was born in West Earl township, in 1769, and

died in 1829. His father was named George. He moved to

near Reamstown when a young man, where he accumulated

considerable property, yet in possession of his son, Curtis

Withers. He was a man of considerable knowledge, and

remarkable for his business talent. He had three sons,

Curtis, John and George.

WITHERS, George B., a grandson of John Withers,

read law and was admitted to the bar in 1822. He was a

man of ability, and once held the of&ce of prothonotary of

Lancaster county. He was the Democratic candidate for the

same of&ce in 1839, in opposition to Zephaniah McLenegan.

WITHERS, John, was a captain in Col. John Ferree'a

battalion, during the Revolution, and also a farmer of Sti'as-

burg township. He was born December 24th, 1729, and

died December 24th, 1813.

WITHERS, Michael,! was born March 4th, 1733. Hewas a gunsmith, and was employed by the government to

manufacture rifles for the American army in the Revolution.

He lived in Strasburg township. He was a man of influence

and standing. He died August 18th, 1821.

WOOD, Day, elected a member of the Legislature in the

years 1864 and 1865. He died whilst serving as a legislator.

> It was chiefly through the instrumentality of Michael and George

Withers that St. Michael's Lutheran church, in the borough of Stras-

burg, •was built. They also furnished the said church with an organ,

it being among the first procured for churches in Lancaster county.


WORK, Joseph, a member of the Legislature in the years

1783, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1790, 1791 and 1792.

WORLEY, Nathan, was born in Ohio, March 1st, 1819.

He was early thrown with but a limited education entirely

upon his own resources. In November, 1816, he removed

from Ohio to Manheim, in Lancaster county, where he en-

gaged in the mercantile business, an occupation he had fol-

lowed for ten years previous. He has not grown rich, but

has succeeded well as a merchant. About the year 1859

the question of building a railroad from Reading to Columbia

was first proposed. Mr. Worley at once conceived the idea

that Manheim should have the benefit of said road, although

it was at least three miles north of the natural route. He took

hold with a determination, and his conception was made a

success. The people of the borough and neighborhood are

now enjoying the benefits of his ideas put in practice. Hewas elected ;i member of the Legislature in the fall of 1861,

and served one session. He is engaged in the mercantile

business in Manheim.

WORRALL, Peter, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1747, 1748, 1749, 1751, 1752, 1753 and 1764.

WORTH, William C, was elected County Commmis-

sioner in the year 1854.

WRIGHT, James, was a member of the Legislature in

the years 1745, 1746, 1749, 1750, 1751, 1752, 1753, 1754,

1755, 1756, 1757, 1758, 1759. 1760, 1761, 1762, 1768, 1764,

1765, 1766, 1767, 1768 and 1770.

WEIGHT, James, jr., a member of the Legislature in

the years 1821 and 1822.

WRIGHT, John, was one of the three first settlers who

took up and settled the district where Columbia, in Lancas-

ter county, now stands. He was born in England, and emi-

grated to Pennsylvania, settling first in Chester county, and

afterwards made his way to Lancaster county. He was a

Quaker by persuasion, and one of the active and enterprising

men of his day. His name is intimately associated with all

the earlier transactions of the county's history. He was a

justice of the peace, and was the chief presiding magistrate


of the justices' courts of the county for many years. He was

one of the leading citizens who participated actively in se-

curing the erection of Lancaster into a separate county, and

to himself was the honor accorded of giving the name to

the new county. It was named by him from his native

county in England. He was one of the first memberselected from the new county to the general assembly in

1729. He was afterwards elected in the years 1730, 1733,

1734, 1737, 1738, 1739, 1740, 1741, 1742, 1743, 1744, 1745,

1746, 1747 and 1748. His descendants are yet numerous

in the county.

WYLIE, Stuaet a., was born in Lancaster city, January

25th, 1840. His father, David Wylie, was an humble cooper,

who traced his descent from Scotch-Irish aacestry. Stuart

A. was sent by his parents to the free schools of Lancaster,

and being a boy of remarkable brightness, he far outstrip-

ped all his classmates in his studies, and graduated at the

Lancaster high school at the early age of sixteen. Having

taught school for a short time with great success, he next

entered as an apprentice the Inland Daily Tiines of&ce, and

worked at case for a few months. In the meantime attention

was attracted towards some articles written by him for the

paper, and he was soon thereafter assigned the position of

local reporter, which he filled for about two years. In this

position he showed remarkable capacity, and was frequently

complimented for his reports, and was on several occasions

the recipient of handsome testimonials in appreciation of

articles penned by him for the paper. On January 1st, 1859,

S. A. Wylie & Co. began the publication of the Inquirer as

a weekly paper, and afterwards consolidated therewith the

American Press and Republican, purchased of .Lacob Myers.

In 1860 Mr. Wylie became sole proprietor of the enterprise,

and from July 7th, 1862, until February 13th, 1864, issued

likewise a Daily Inquirer. In 1861 he married MaryAmanda, a daughter of George Brubaker, esq. In 1868 he

associated with him Ellwood Griest, and the firm continued

the publication of the Inquirer up to the period of his death,

June 12th, 1872.

In 1868 Mr. Wylie erected the largest printing establish-

44


meut ' ever built in Lancaster, began business therein in

February, 1869, and continued increasing and enlarging the

same up till the day of his death.

Mr. Wylie was a remarkable man. As a business

organizer and conductor, he ranked amongst those who are

able to eclipse all their comrades and place themselves in

the front column of the men of their epoch. In no sense

did his capacities belong to an ordinary grade. He was

•extraordinary in every particular. He had a wonderful

intuitive knowledge of men of all grades, and could measure

almost at a glance any one with whom he came in contact,

and assign their respective adaptabilities. As a writer, he

wielded a ready pen; and as a speaker, he was able, upon

any occasion, to acquit himself handsomely before an assem-

blage in a neat, appropriate speech that might seem to a

stranger a studied jDroduction. In every particular, indeed,

he exhibited rare ability. He could run the complicated

financial machine of his vast business better than any sub-

ordinate, could attend to all the outside details, could canvass

for business, as were this his allotted sjDhere, could make

The Inquirer printing and binding establishment, erected in 1868,

inaugurated in Lancaster, in the deijartment of printing, a movement of

activity not before witnessed in the State outside of Philadeli^hia, and

equaled in but few places in that city. The idea of this mammoth enter-

prise was a conception of S. A. Wylie alone, and had time been spared

him he would, in all probability, have rivaled almost the printing and

publishing depots of Leipsic. Such was his ambition. His estabUshment

employs in its diflereut departments about, on an average, one himdi'ed

and sixty hands, and turns out an immense amount of work obtained

from New York, Philadeljihia, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, New Or-

leans, and numerous other places. About nine weekly newspapers and

twenty monthly periodicals issue from the establishment, besides mil-

lions of pamphlet publications, that are printed and put up for gratui-

tous or advertising circulation. The printing of books for Philadelphia

and New York houses has already become an important feature of the

concern. Twelve steam presses are kept nearly all the time in active

.operation, frequently running day and night. Often double sets of

hands are employed. The system of stereotyping was introduced but a

ighort time before the death of Mr. Wylie, and is now regularly prose-

cuted, the first of this branch of business ever established in Lancaster.

The different departments of business are all regularly systematized, a

foreman being placed over each, and those selcted for the various posi-

tions were chosen with reference to their respective proficiencies in their

.several specialties.


estimates for contracts from $5.00 to $10,000 with amazing

dexterity, and could, if need required, throw off his coat and

equal if not surpass in the amount of work dispatched any

employee in his service. He had a complete and accurate

knowledge of the most minute details relating to the manage-

ment, and execution of his vast and complicated printing and

binding establishment, an enterprise of which, whilst living,

he was the entire soul and manager. He was, in short, all

combined, the most enterprising, successful, and intellectual

business man of his years that the old inland city has ever

yet produced.

Mr. Wylie as a citizen, was worthy of imitation. Hewas genial and bland, always in a good humor, and wore a

smiling face for all. He was very affable and talkative, and

no man ever saw him moody or morose. To all his em-

ployees he was ever courteous and kind, yet the proprietor's

attitude was uniformly observed, forbidding undue familiarity.

If occasion required, a sternness peremptorily demanded

observance of duty, and quelled all indications of disobedi-

ence, or dismissal immediately followed. As a man, he was

charitable and humane, and ready to extend a favor to any

worthy object.

Y.

YEATES, Jasper,^ was the most eminent lawyer in Lancas-

ter before the period of the American Eevolution. Hewas admitted to the bar in the year 1765. He took a very

active part in all matters relating to the difficulties between

the mother country and her American colonies, and was an

ardent advocate of the Whig cause. He was one of the

delegates from Lancaster county to the convention of 1787

which ratified, on the part of Pennsylvania, the Federal Con-

'Jasper Yeates, witli Edward Shippen, and Smith, the three judges ofthe Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, were, in 1805, impeached before the

Senate of Pennsylvania, but acquitted.

628 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOBT

stitution. The other delegates from the county, were: Ste-

phen Chambers, Eobert Coleman, Sebastian Graff, John

Hubley and John Whitehill. He was one ofthe committee of

three with Thomas McKean and Judge Wilson who re-

ported the form of the ratification, which is in these words

:

" In the name of the people of Pennsylvania, be it knownunto all men, that we, the delegates of the people of the com-

monwealth of Pennsylvania in general convention assembled,

have assented to and ratified, and by these presents, do, in

the name and by the authority of the said people, and for

ourselves, assent to and ratify the (foregoing) Constitution

for the United States of America." In 1791 he was ap-

pointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, a

position he held with great credit during the remainder of

his life. One of the series of State Eeports was prepared by

Judge Yeates, which confers great honor upon him as an

author and a lawyer. He died March 13th, 1817, in the 73d

year of his age. He was possessed of a clear and vigorous

mind, and his opinions were bold. As a judge, he com-

manded the highest respect and deference. His decisions

from the bench were clear, decisive and strongly indicative

of a profound knowledge of the constitution and laws of his

country. As a man of business, he was one of the most

methodical. With him everything had its time and place.

This trait was observable in all his transactions, whether

of a domestic or public nature. He was kind and affection-

ate, of a cheerful and contented disposition, and correct and

engaging in his deportment. In all the social relations he

was truly amiable.

z.

ZAHM, GoDFRiED, was born November 10th, 1787, in

Lancaster borough. When a young man he learned

cigar making, and afterwards brush making, which latter

business he carried on for upwards of fifty years. Mr. Zahmbegan life in humble circumstances, and by economy, indus-

try and uprightness he accumulated a handsome indepen-


dence and rose to the rank of the influential men of the day.

Just prior to the breaking out of the war of 1812, by the

advice of some friends, he invested largely in imported

bristles. The subsequent embargo greatly enhanced their

value, and this laid the foundation of his fortune. His strict

integrity was early recognized, and before the incorporation

of Lancaster as a city, having served as a collector, no bond

was required of him. He was a member of the city coun-

cils for many years. He served in common councils for a

time, and was a member of select council for twenty-three

years, and during all this time was chairman of the finance

committee, a position for which, by the common consent of

all citizens of Lancaster, he was best qualified to fill. His

sagacious shrewdness in financial matters earned for him the

sobriquet of " Old Talleyrand." He was for twenty years a

leading member of the school board. He was an early and

ardent friend of the free school system, and was one of the

first to advocate making the system compulsory upon non-

accepting districts. He died universally esteemed and re-

spected, March 9tli, 1871.

ZAHM, Mathias, brother of Godfried Zahm, an aged and

respected citizen, has been court-crier for nearly forty years.

He was born August 17th, 1789.

ZECHER, Christian, sr., emigrated from Germany and

settled in Lancaster shortly after the close of the American

Eevolution. He was a tailor by trade, but did not follow it

much after coming to Lancaster. He kept carts and horses,

and by his industry secured a fair competence. He died

aged sixty-two years. He raised eight children, all yet liv-

ing : Christian, Frederick, Jacob, David, Lewis, Christiana,

married to Brooks Campbell ; Mary, married to James Camp-bell, and after his death to James Noble ; and Catharine,

married to Charles McLaughlin. Christian Zecher has for

several years been the most industrious and efficient memberof the Lancaster school board. He has also been one of the

principal movers in the erection of the new market house,' at

the corner of North Queen and Walnut streets.

'The new market house is now being' completed, and its cost, it is be-

lieved, will reach |C0,000.


ZELLER, John H., was elected Clerk of Quarter Ses-

sions and Oyer and Terminer in 1863. In 1866 Jacob M.

Greider succeeded him in this office, and iilled the same dur-

ing his term of three years.

ZIMMERMAN, Hexry, (Carpenter), the progenitor of

the numerous Carpenter family of Lancaster county, was a

native of the canton of Berne, in Switzerland, and emigrated

to this country about 1710. According to an old order of

William Peun, the names of all persons to whom grants of

land were made were Anglicised, and hence the name was

changed to that of Carpenter. Henry Zimmerman was

allowed to take possession of several hundred acres of land,

provided he went sixty miles west of Philadelphia. Thecause of his emigration was repugnance to persecution, and

being a member of the German Reformed church his friends

desired to force him to unite with those of their opinions in

persecuting others. This did not seem to him as accordant

with the spirit of Christianity, and to escape this he resolved

upon coming to America. To detain him his friends medi-

tated seizing his wife, and thus they thought to prevent his

going. She, however, resolved to follow her husband. Heaccordingly, in secret, obtained a small boat and fixed it

upon the shore of the lake of the four cantons. Theyawaited a favorable opportunity, and finally left their hometo escape, by means of the boat, forever from the land of

their birth. Henry armed himself, and not in vain, with a

sabre, for they were attacked on the road by four hussars,

who wished to prevent their departure. Tradition says,

with Salome clinging to her husband for protection, he

successfully combated his four assailants, and succeeded in

escaping, both himself and wife, in their little boat, to a more

hospitable shore. Henry Zimmerman was a carpenter bytrade, and going from Switzerland to England on his way to

America, he was presented with a large auger and other

tools by Queen Anne, to enable him to carry on his trade in

America.

ZIMMERMAN, John, ex-Mayor of the city of Lancaster,

was born March 22d, 1798, two miles northwest of the city

of Lancaster. When he was about eight years of age his


father moved to Columbia, and thence to Soudersburg, where

he died in 1813. In 1815 the subject of this notice came to

Lancaster and entered the store of John Landis, as clerk. In

1822 he married Anna M. Schaeffer, a sister of Judge Schaef-

fer, deceased. In 1828 he was elected a member of city

councils, and whilst a member moved the resolution to in-

troduce water from the Conestoga into the city of Lancaster,

pumped into a reservoir by machinery. He was afterwards,

for a time, chairman of the water committee. He attended

the first meeting held for the purpose of introducing the

common school system into the schools of Lancaster. Hewas a great friend of the measure. He was for about 18

years a member of the School Board, 8 years of which he

acted as secretary. He was city treasurer for 8 or 9 years,

and in 1856 was elected Mayor of the city of Lancaster, and

reelected in 1857.

ADDENDA.

*HEKR, Rev. Christian, an eminent and successful

pastor and teacher in the Mennonite denomination of chris-

tians, was born on the 31st day of October, 1780, on the

farm on which his son. Rev. Amos Herr, at present resides,

situated in what is now West Lampeter township, borderingon Pequea creek. From this circumstance, and for the pur-

pose of distinguishing him from others of the same name,(as the Herr family had then become numerous in that

vicinity), his father, whose name was also Christian, either

assumed, or had conferred on him by the neighbors the appel-

lation of Pequea Christian Herr; the son assumed the distinc-

tive appendage, and almost uniformly, except in private

correspondence, signed his name "Christian Herr, jr., Pequea,"until after the death of his father, when the junior was dis-

carded, to be afterwards resumed by his son.

Tradition, which is fast becoming, if it has not already

become history, informs us that about the year 1710 or

1711, a colony of emigrants, from Switzerland, effected a

settlement on the north side of Pequea creek, which settle-

ment was subsequently included in the limits of Lampetertownship. These emigrants were mostly, if not all, membersof the Mennonite church. Amongst them was John Herr,

or as familiarly expressed in their native language, HansHerr, as their pastor and leader, who brought with himfive sons, who are the progenitors of the numerous and re-

spectable family of that name in the county of Lancaster,

many of whom still own and reside on the lands originally

purchased from the proprietary government, by their ances-

tors, more than one hundred and fifty years ago. Christian

Herr, the subject of this memoir, was one of the fourth

generation from the above named Hans Herr. He had nobrother, but six sisters, five of whom were married and onedied single. He was brought up as a farmer, and receivedno education but what was obtained at our common countryschools, which at best, in those days, was an imperfect know-ledge of reading, writing and common arithmetic. But beingof a sprightly disposition, and possessing an inquiring, con-

templative turn of mind, and a retentive memory, by reading

* Contributed by Hon. John Strohm.


and study he improved his intellectual powers, and acquired

a general knowledge of men and things superior to mostyoung men of his class and age, which enabled him to aid

and advise his neighbors and friends, who frequently con-

sulted him in regard to matters of business. He was often

employed in drawing instruments of writing in reference to

the disposition of property, by agreement and by devise, andin the settlement of estates, and disputes and controversies

amongst neighbors. These acquirements, connected with his

kindness of heart and amiable disposition, made him veryand deservedly popular amongst his associates and acquaint-

ances. As an evidence of his good standing in the commu-nity in which he lived, it may be mentioned that, when yet ayoung man he was elected, in 1812, one of the commis-sioners for his native county, the duties of which he dis-

charged with fidelity and ability. Had his ambitionprompted him to aspire to worldly distinction he might haveattained to higher positions. He was urgently solicited to

accept a nomination for the Legislature, but refused. Politics

and statesmanship seemed uncongenial to his tastes, and hewithdrew from secular employments to exercise his talents

and his energies in a higher and nobler field of action.

About the year 1817 he became seriously impressed withthe sinfulness of man's natural condition, and the necessity

of a Redeemer's grace. On a careful and prayerful perusal

and study of the holy scriptures, and the elucidations thereof

by learned and enlightened divines, he came to the conclu-

sion that duty required him to connect himself with somereligious denomination; and by withdrawing from and declin-

ing worldly honors, to enlist himself as an humble follower of

his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. After a deliberate

examination of the various creeds and professions that camewithin his knowledge and presented themselves to his mindat the time, none seemed to him more fully in accordancewith the teachings of the holy scriptures, which he conceived

to be the guide to all truth, than that in which he had beeninstructed from his childhood, and in which his parents andancestors had been worthy members and communicants. Inaccordance with these views and impressions, he and his

a'miable and excellent wife became members of the Orthodox'(or old) Mennonite church. In this situation his meek andexemplary deportment did not escape the notice of his asso-

ciates, and as an evidence of their confidence in his sincerity,

uprightness of conduct and unaffected piety, he was appointedan elder in the congregation with which he worshiped. Pur-

'This word is used here to distinguish tliis denomination from thosewho caU themselves the Refonned (or newj Mennouite society.

OF LAISrCASTER COUNTY. 635

suing the even tenor of his way in a quiet and unobtrusive

manner, attending sedulously to the various duties required

of him, frequently visiting the sick and distressed, not only

amongst those who belonged to the same congregation, but

any who seemed to require his aid and advice, he performed

many good offices and received the sincere thanks of manywho profited by his disinterested exertions. In adjusting diffi-

culties and reconciling controversies between those whoought to be friends, he was actively engaged, in which his

good sense and earnest and impressive manner rendered himvery useful; and many hard feelings and vexatious mis-

understandings were allayed and assuaged through his inter-

vention, and peace and harmony restored where distrust andsuspicion, and in some instances falsehood and malice, hadengendered discord and strife.

In the year 1835, as a further appreciation of his merits,

he was, according to the rules and ordinances of the churchof which he was a member, ordained a minister of the gospel.

This opened to him a wider field of action and usefulness,

and a corresponding increase of labor and fatigue. He soonobtained the reputation of being'a fluent speaker, a sound,logical reasoner, and a fervent, earnest proclaimer of the

truths of the gospel. Many who for years had been apathetic

or lukewarm on the subject of religion, were awakened to a

just sense of their condition, and, as a consequence, a con-

siderable accession was made to the church under his minis-

tration. He could not be called eloquent, attempted noflourishes of rhetoric^ indulged in no flights of imagination,

but his power by in the simple, unassuming, but fervent andearnest manner in which he addressed his audience. This,

together with the knowledge of his blameless life and unim-peachable character, carried conviction to the hearts of his

hearers, when high sounding words, polished, eLtborate sen-

tences, delivered in a pompous and ostentatious style ofaction, would have passed them by as "sounding brass ortinkling cymbals." It now became his duty to preach at

least one sermon on every Sabbath day, and not unfrequentlyhe was called on two or three times a week to preach funeral

sermons. In addition to those duties he had to give a por-

tion of his time to visit the sick, so that his time was almostconstantly occupied in attending to those duties, leaving himvery little time in which to attend to private business. In1831 he had the misfortune to lose his wife, who had for

many years been the partner of his joys, and in sickness andsorrow his comforter and supporter. The writer of this

article here claims the privilege of a slight digression, to paya tribute of respect to the memory of one for whom he


entertained the highest regard. He remembers with grati-

tude the many kindaesses he received at her hands. Heknew her well, saw her in many difficalt and trying situa-

tions, and never knew a lady of more equable temperamentand kind and obliging disposition. A loving and confidingwife, she was a constant, unwavering friend, just and gener-ous to her domestics and neighbors, and above all, a sincere

and devout christian. She was a daughter of Christian andBarbara Forrer, of Uonestoga township.Some years subsequent to the decease of his wife, his chil-

dren being nearly all grown up and married, he gave up the

management of his fine estate to his sons and took up his

residence with his eldest son, Benjamin; and having divested

himself as much as possible from all earthly cares, devotedhis time entirely to the duties of his calling. In the year1840 he was elevated to the highest position recognized bythe church to which he belonged, that of bishop, successor

to Rev. Peter Eby, whose friendship and confidence heshared, and with whom he had traveled many miles in the

discharge of the duties incident to their positions. Hereagain the area and extent of his labors were augmented. It

became his duty to frequently visit other and sometimesdistant congregations, even beyond the limits of his native

county, and occasionally to other States. These labors, withthe pressure of advancing age, began to take eifect on his,

not very robust constitution, and it was noticed by his

friends, and must have been felt and observed by himself,

that he was beginning to sink under the accumulated pres-

sure of age, infirmity, care and labor; but he conceived it to

be his duty to continue in the service of his Lord and Master,

and impelled by love to his fellow-men, for whose benefit

those labors and inconveniences were exerted and endured,

he traveled and preached, exhorted, counseled and advised,

as long as he was able to move from place to place. Finally

his nervous sy.stem became relaxed, and he was scarce able

to walk ; even his speech was affected by nervous debility, andit was sometimes difficult for him to give utterance to wordsintended to convey his ideas. Under these circumstances he

was compelled to refrain from public speaking, and for sev-

eral years previous to his decease was unable to leave home;yet he retained the faculties of his mind and conversed,

though not without difficulty, with such of his friends as

visited him. He endured his affliction with constancy andresignation, his only lament being that he could no longer

attend to his duties in the church. His dissolution tookplace on the 23d day of June, 1853. His funeral was at-

tended by a large number of friends and relatives, as also of


neighbors and acquaintances, who deplored the loss of one so

highly gifted, and who had Leen so eminently useful in his

sphere of life. He was emphatically a man of peace. Thetenets of his religion were non-resistant, and condemned waras sinful and not to be countenanced, aided or participated

in by any of its professors. These likewise prohibited anyof its members from engaging in any law-suit before the

legal tribunals of the country, but directed all difficulties

and controversies that might occur amongst the members of

the society, to be referred to and adjusted by the brethren.

To the spirit of those principles he gave his full assent, andso deeply was he imbued with the spirit of peace and con-

cord that he deprecated even colloquial controversey, especi-

ally on the subject of religion, and avoided it as much as

possible. But when duty seemed to require an effort in that

direction, he was prompt and decided in maintaining his ownviews, yet always liberal and courteous to an opponent.

Claiming the privilege of acting in accordance with the con-

victions of his own mind, he willing allowed to others the

same liberty; and, whilst he sustained his own opinions

with energy and perspicuity, he never rashly condemnedothers for entertaining a different opinion.

As a speaker he had a clear, agreeable voice, a goodenunciation, and spoke deliberatelj^, so as to be easily under-

stood. His language was suited to the capacity of his audi-

ence, being the common idiom of the German population of

Lancaster county, sometimes by way of elucidation inter-

spersed with a word or words derived from the English. Hewas a sententious, forcible and logical speaker, which, with

the earnest and feeling manner in which his sermons weredelivered, rendered his preaching very effective. His style

and manner were persuasive rather than denunciatory ; heamplified on the unbouuded goodness of God to his finite

creatures, endeavored to awaken in their hearts a high sense

of gratitude and love to that beneficent being, but failed not

to warn them of the danger of persisting in disobedience to

His commands.Having experienced the inconvenience of a defective

education, he felt anxious to give his children a better

opportunity to improve their minds than had fallen to

his lot in his youth. In the year 1815, not being able to

get a competent teacher in the neighboring school, he em-ployed a private teacher at his dwelling house for the benefit

of his own children and those of some of his nearest neigh-

bors. Subsequently, he succeeded in getting a better

teacher in the neighboring school, and for many years tookan active part in promoting the cause of education. In the

bdO BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOEY

management of his farm he was industrious, judicious andenterprising. By good judgment, industry, prudenceand care, he augmented his paternal inheritance so as to leave

a fine estate to his children. He raised a family of six sons,

Benjamin, Elias, Christian, Joseph, Amos and Daniel, all of

whom are married; and two daughters, Maria, who wasintermarried with John Brackbill, and Ann, who was inter-

married with John Herr, miller ; all of whom reside in

the vicinity of where they were born, with the exception of

one daughter, Mrs. Brackbill, who is now dead. The sous

are all respectable and thrifty farmers, who venerate the

memory of their father, and evince a disposition to emulatethe virtuous example which he left them; and what wasprobably most gratifying to him in his old age, his children

all became members of the church in which he was so

long a pastor and leader. Two of them, Benjamin andAmos, are preachers of the gospel : the former now occupy-ing the position that his father did during the last years of

his life, that of bishop in the Mennonite church.

Such was the life and character of a man who in everysituation discharged his duty with fidelity. An affectionate

husband, a kind and indulgent father, an obliging andagreeable neighbor, a zealous and effective preacher, and a

sincere and devout Christian.

HUBER, Jacob, elected Sheriff in 1848.

HUMES, James, elected Sheriff in 1809.

KLINE, George M., is one of the well-read and able at-

torneys of the Lancaster bar. His mind is of an analytical

order, and he possesses the faculty of grasping legal ques-

tions and presenting them with clearness before the court

and jury. lie has ever been a close student, and without

turning aside into political currents, has steadily devoted

himself to the pursuit of his profession.

MILLER, David, elected Sheriff in the year 1833.

MILLER, Henry, elected Register of Wills in the year

1842.

POWNALL, Joseph D., elected a member of the Legis-


RHINE, Michael, elected Sheriff in 1800.

SHUMAN, Jacob B., elected Commissioner in 1864.

STUART, George, elected a member of the Legislature


WEIDMAN", George, elected Commissioner in 1807.

ERRATA.

On page 7, line 13, the "word Dr. to be omitted.

On page 25, lines first and second, instead of Quarter Sessions and Oyer

and Terminer, it should read Orphans' Com-t.

On page 39, line 9, instead of 1779 read 1799.

On page 115, John Buchanan was Commissioner in 1821, instead of

1824.

On iiage 117, in note, in line 23, instead of .James read Wm. Hopkins.

On page 1-17, James B. Cowdeu was elected to the Legislature in 1850,

and not 1853.

On page 182, in line 2 from bottom, instead of Martha read Martin E.

On page 237, Daniel Good -was elected Commissioner in 1857, instead

of 1854.

On page 285, line 9, instead of mother read grandmother.

On page 320, line 13, instead of three years read four years.

On page 338, instead of C. L. Kauftman read C. S. Kauffman.

On page 384, in Une 3 from bottom, read motives instead of notions.

On page 395, line 10, instead of David JliUer read John Miller.

On page 399, in foot note to James Moore, line 10, instead of 1703

read 1808.

On page 430, in sketch of WiUiam Noble, read 1833 instead of 1835.

On page 449, in line 11, instead of 1858 read 1868.

On page 450, in line 5, instead of Salisbury read Sadsbury.

On page 501, instead of John read Jonathan H. Roland, and instead

of 1856 read 1857.

On page 561, in lines 12 and 13, instead of 1867 and 1868 read 1866

and 1867.

cULNo. >.^7: 3 Sect.

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CONTENTS

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Lincoln National Life Foundation

Collateral Lincoln Library

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A biographical history of Lancaster County

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